Ac vity 18.

1 Measuring current

Activity 18.1
Investigate some materials to discover which are
good conductors.
Measure the current flowing in a simple circuit.

Conductors allow electric current to flow in a circuit. You can use

an ammeter to measure the current.

You will need:

• 6 V battery or variable power supply
• 6 V lamp in holder
• two crocodile clips
• ammeter
• four connecting wires
• samples of a range of materials, conductors and insulators

Method
1 If you are using a variable power supply, set its output to 6 V.
Connect up a series circuit with the battery or supply, the lamp
and the ammeter. Measure the current flowing in the circuit.

6V

test material clip

Cambridge O Level Physics © Cambridge University Press 2012 Chapter 18: Activity sheet 1
2 Make a break in the circuit so that you can include the two
crocodile clips. Attach one clip to each end of a piece of metal.
You can tell if the circuit is complete in two ways: the lamp
lights up, and the ammeter shows the current flowing.
3 Try different materials between the two clips. Which are
conductors and which are insulators?
4 Metals are conductors of electricity. You can compare the
different metal samples by placing them in turn between the
crocodile clips. How could you make this a fair test, to compare
the different metals?

Cambridge O Level Physics © Cambridge University Press 2012 Chapter 18: Activity sheet 2
Ac vity 18.2 Measuring resistance

Activity 18.2
Carry out some experiments to measure the
resistance of some different electrical components.

You will need:

• battery or power supply
• ammeter
• voltmeter
• resistors of different values
• lamp in holder
• five connecting wires

Method
1 Set up a circuit as shown, including a resistor. Measure and
record the p.d. across the resistor and the current through it.

cell

A ammeter

resistor

V
voltmeter

Cambridge O Level Physics © Cambridge University Press 2012 Chapter 18: Activity sheet 3
2 Calculate the resistance of the resistor. (It may help to record
your results in a table like the one shown below.)
3 Repeat the process with the other resistors.
4 Connect the lamp in place of the resistor. Set the supply so
that the p.d. across the lamp is 2.0 V. Measure the current
and calculate the resistance. Repeat for several different p.d.s
(making sure that you do not exceed the maximum operating
voltage of the lamp). How does the resistance of the lamp
change as it gets brighter?

Component P.d. / V Current / A Resistance / Ω

resistor

Cambridge O Level Physics © Cambridge University Press 2012 Chapter 18: Activity sheet 4
Ac vity 18.3 Using electrical power

Activity 18.3
Determine the power of some electrical
components.

You will need:

• 12 V variable power supply
• 12 V lamp in holder
• 12 V electrical heater
• electric buzzer or bell
• 100 Ω resistor, rated at least 2 W
• ammeter
• voltmeter
• five connecting wires

Method
1 Design a circuit that will allow you to measure the current
flowing through a component and the p.d. across it. Check your
design with your teacher.
2 Set up your circuit. Place the test object (resistor, lamp and so
on) on a heat-proof mat, because it may become hot during the
experiment. Avoid touching it unless you are sure it is cool.
3 Set the power supply to 12 V. Switch on.
4 Record the current and the p.d. Calculate the power being
dissipated in the component.
5 The components may be labelled with their power ratings in
normal use. Compare these with your measured values.
6 Place the 12 V lamp in the circuit. Change the voltage of the
supply. Use values of 2.0 V, 4.0 V and so on. For each voltage,
determine the current and calculate the power.
7 Draw graphs to show how the power depends on the voltage
and on the current.

Cambridge O Level Physics © Cambridge University Press 2012 Chapter 18: Activity sheet 5