Problem statement

Aim
To investigate the relationship between the current and voltage passing through a
metal conductor at constant temperature and a filament lamp.
Hypothesis
The current flowing through metal conductor and will be directly proportional to
the voltage passing through it ie. It obeys ohm’s law, but the filament lamp will not
obey ohms law.
Variables
Responding: voltage flowing through the wire
Manipulating: electric current flowing through the wire
Controlled: Temperature or length of the wire and filament lamp
Apparatus
 Voltmeter
 Ammeter
 DC power supply and connecting cables.
 Switch
 1m Copper wire
 Filament lamp
 Variable resistor/ rheostat
 Crocodile clips

Diagram 1

Procedure 1
1. Set up the circuit as shown in the diagram 1 above.
2. . 2. Using the rheostat adjust the current to a maximum of 2.6 A.
3. Record the Voltage.
 4. Decrease the current by 0.2A and record the corresponding voltage.
5. . 5. Repeat step 4 five more times, each time recording the voltage.
6. Tabulate your readings.
7. Plot a graph of Voltage vs Current.

Diagram 2
Procedure 2
1. Set up the circuit as shown in the diagram 2 above.
2. . 2. Using the rheostat adjust the current to a maximum of 2.6 A.
3. Record the Voltage.
4. Decrease the current by 0.2A and record the corresponding voltage.
5. . 5. Repeat step 4 five more times, each time recording the voltage.
6. Tabulate your readings.
7. Plot a graph of Voltage vs Current.

Expected results
TABLE 1: SHOWING THE VOLTAGE AND CURRENT READINGS OF A
METAL CONDUCTOR OF CONSTANT TEMPERATURE.
Current (A) Voltage (V)
TABLE 2: SHOWING THE VOLTAGE AND CURRENT READINGS OF A
FILAMENT LAMP.
Current (A) Voltage (V)

Explanation
It is expected that the current and the voltage flowing through the wire will be
directly proportional to each other. That is as the current increases, the voltage will
also increase. The graph that is plotted for this experiment is expected to be a
straight line passing through the origin.
For the filament lamp, it is expected that the current will not be directly
proportional to the voltage flowing through the lamp, thus it will not obey ohm’s
law. The graph will not show proportionality.

Precautions
1. Ensure that the components of the circuit are connected correctly.
2. Make sure that there are no loose connections.
3. Ensure that the voltmeter is connected parallel to the load being tested.

Possible sources of error

1. The voltage may be too high.
2. The components of the circuit may not have been connected correctly.
3. There may have been loose connections in the circuit.
4. There may have been parallax errors when reading the instruments.