LAB 4: RESISTANCE & OHM’S LAW

Objectives:
 State the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance (Ohm’s Law)

Electrical devices such as light bulbs are designed to use a certain amount of energy each second. For example,
a 10-watt bulb uses 10 joules each second.
Too much energy and the bulb burns out; too little and the bulb gives off no light. Energy is carried by electrical
current and devices like light bulbs are designed to use the right amount of current when connected to the
proper voltage.
To design electric devices (and use them properly), it is important to understand the relationship between
current, voltage and resistance. German physicist Georg S. Ohm (1787-1854) experimented with circuits to find
out how voltage, current, and resistance are related. The relationship he discovered is called Ohm’s Law and is
the basis for understanding how electrical devices regulate how much energy they use.
PART 1: RESITANCE & CURRENT
You will be using two new tools:
 A resistor which provides resistance in the circuit
 A potentiometer allows you to adjust the voltage. For the online simulation, there is no potentiometer
to select from on the menu of circuit elements. Instead, you will manually change the voltage of the
battery by clicking on the battery and entering a new value or sliding the scale.
Resistor

(comes in green, red, or blue)

Investigate!
 Build a series circuit with one battery, a switch, and a light bulb.
 Connect an ammeter in the circuit.
 Since the PHET simulation does not have a potentiometer, adjust the voltage of the circuit by clicking on
the battery and changing the voltage value and observe what happens to the current value and the light in the
bulb.

1. a. As the voltage was increased, the lightbulb became: brighter dimmer

b. This means the current was: high low

2. a. As the voltage was decreased, the lightbulb became: brighter dimmer

b. This means the current was: high low

PART 2: CURRENT AND VOLTAGE

 Build a series circuit with one small battery (copper top), an ammeter, a switch, and a light bulb.
 Set the resistance of the battery to zero by clicking on the green + symbol for Battery Resistance on the right
side.
 Set the resistance of the light bulb to 10 by clicking on the resistor and changing the value.
 Adjust the voltage in the circuit by clicking on the battery and changing the value
 For each of the voltage settings, record the circuit current.
 Record your data in the table below.

IV: Voltage Across DV: Current

Potentiometer Through Switch
(Volts) (Amps)
1.0 0.1
5.0 0.5
10.0 1.0
25.0 2.5
50.0 5.0

Analyze your data:

3. Examine your data above. As voltage increased, current: decreased or increased

4. Given this relationship, what type of pattern are you expecting on your graph?

Linear Flat line Quadratic Inverse

5. ***This is another instance of where you will graph the IV on the y-axis and the DV on the x-axis***.
Graph your data from the table above in DESMOS and insert a screen shot of your graph below so you will
have a record of how the Current and Voltage are related.    
   

6. What pattern is this graph?

Linear Flat line Quadratic Inverse

7. What is the general equation for this pattern? y = mx+b

8. Write the equation of your line (including units and slope values):

Voltage ( volts ) = 10 ( ohms) * current ( amps )

y-variable. y-variable UNITS Prop. Constant Prop. Constant UNITS x-variable. x-variable UNITS