Experiment B

Ohm’s Law and Resistance of Wires

Aim | Objective:
 To show that the current through a resistor is directly proportional to the voltage
across the resistor.
 To study the effect of length on the resistance of wire.
 To study the effect of cross-sectional area on the resistance of wire.

Equipment Required:
i. Experiment Board
ii. Connecting Wires
iii. Resistors:
a. 66 ohm
b. 90 ohm
c. 115 ohm
iv. Voltmeter, Ammeter
v. Cells DC voltage supply 0-10 V
vi. Spools of Wire:
a. 20 ft. No. 36 Copper Wire
b. 40 ft. No. 30 Copper Wire

Procedure:
Part A.Procedure for Verification of Ohm's Law:
1. Set Up the Circuit:
 Begin with the 66 ohm resistor.
 Connect the circuit as shown in Fig. 1, ensuring proper connections
according to your instructor's approval.
2. Measurement with One Cell:
 Close the switch in the circuit.
 Record the readings from the voltmeter and ammeter.
3. Measurement with Two Cells:
 Reconfigure the circuit as shown in Fig. 2 with two cells.

 Close the switch.

 Record the readings from the voltmeter and ammeter.
4. Measurement with Three Cells:
 Reconfigure the circuit as shown in Fig. 3 with three cells.

 Close the switch.

 Record the readings from the voltmeter and ammeter.
5. Observations and Calculations:
 In Part 2, note that the applied voltage is essentially twice the voltage in
Part 1.
  In Part 3, the applied voltage is essentially three times the voltage in Part
1.
 Calculate the apparent resistance for each set of data using Ohm's Law: R
= V/I, where R is resistance, V is voltage, and I is current.
6. Compare Calculated Resistance:
 Compare the calculated apparent resistance values for each configuration
(one cell, two cells, and three cells) with the given resistance value of the
66 ohm resistor.
7. Repeat for Other Resistors:
 Repeat the entire procedure (Steps 1-6) for the 90 ohm resistor and the
115 ohm resistor.

Part B: Variation of Resistance with length of the wire

1. Set Up the Circuit:
 Begin with one of the spools containing 20 ft. of No. 36 copper wire.
 Connect the circuit as shown in Fig. 4, ensuring proper connections.

2. Measure Current and Voltage:

 Close the switch in the circuit.
 Measure and record the current passing through the wire using the
ammeter.
 Measure and record the voltage across the wire using the voltmeter.
3. Calculate Resistance:
 Use Ohm's Law (V = IR) to calculate the resistance of the 20 ft. of No. 36
copper wire.
 R = V / I, where R is resistance, V is voltage, and I is current.
 4. Add Another Wire in Series:
 Connect the other 20 ft. spool of No. 36 copper wire in series with the first
one. This means connecting them end to end in the circuit.
5. Measure Current and Voltage for the Series Combination:
 Close the switch again.
 Measure and record the current passing through the series combination of
the two 20 ft. spools of wire.
 Measure and record the voltage across this series combination.
6. Calculate Resistance for the Series Combination:
 Use Ohm's Law again to calculate the resistance of the series combination
of the two 20 ft. spools of No. 36 copper wire.
7. Comparison of Resistance Values:
 Compare the resistance of the single 20 ft. wire to the resistance of the
series combination of the two 20 ft. wires.

Part C: Variation of Resistance with cross-sectional area of the wire

1. Set Up the Circuit:
 Use a 40 ft. spool of No. 30 wire for this part of the experiment.
 Connect the circuit as shown in Fig. 4, ensuring proper connections.

2. Measure Current and Voltage:

 Close the switch in the circuit.
 Measure and record the current passing through the wire using the
ammeter.
 Measure and record the voltage across the wire using the voltmeter.
3. Calculate Resistance:
 Use Ohm's Law (V = IR) to calculate the resistance of the 40 ft. of No. 30
wire.
  R = V / I, where R is resistance, V is voltage, and I is current.
4. Determine the Cross-Sectional Area:
 Using a table or reference material, find the cross-sectional area of the No.
30 wire. The area will typically be given in square units, such as square
millimeters.
5. Repeat the Procedure with a Different Wire:
 Choose a different wire, such as the No. 36 wire used in the previous parts
of the experiment.
 Connect the circuit with the new wire.
 Measure current, voltage, and calculate resistance as before.
6. Determine the Cross-Sectional Area of the Second Wire:
 Find the cross-sectional area of the No. 36 wire using the same reference
material or table.
7. Compare Resistance and Cross-Sectional Area:
 Compare the resistance of the 40 ft. of No. 30 wire to the resistance of the
No. 36 wire used in previous parts.
 Determine the ratio of the resistance of the No. 30 wire to the resistance
of the No. 36 wire.
8. Determine the Ratio of Cross-Sectional Areas:
 Calculate the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the No. 30 wire to the
cross-sectional area of the No. 36 wire.

Results:
Resistance= 66 ohms
Voltage Current Resistance calculated
(mA)
2.2 35 62.85714286
4 60 66.66666667
5 75 66.66666667

Resistance= 90
ohms
 Voltage Current Resistance calculated
(mA)
2.2 24.5 89.79591837
4 44 90.90909091
5 55 90.90909091

Resistance= 110
ohms
Voltage Current Resistance calculated
(mA)
2.2 20 110
4 36.2 110.4972376
5 45 111.1111111

Part B
Voltage Current Resistance calculated
(mA)
2.2 421 5.225653207
2.2 210 10.47619048

Resistance got doubled in series addition by length.

Part C:
Voltage Current Resistance calculated
(mA)
2.2 220 10
2.2 300 7.333333333

Resistance decreased on increasing the area of cross-section.

Conclusions:
Verification of Ohm's Law:
  The experiment verified Ohm's Law, which states that the current through a
resistor is directly proportional to the voltage across it.
This was demonstrated when the voltage across the resistor increased (due to
adding more cells in series), the current through the resistor also increased
proportionally.

Effect of Wire Length on Resistance:

 The experiment showed that the resistance of a wire is directly proportional to its
length.
 As the length of the wire increased, the resistance also increased. This confirms
the relationship between wire length and resistance in electrical circuits.
Effect of Wire Cross-Sectional Area on Resistance:
 The experiment demonstrated that the resistance of a wire is inversely
proportional to its cross-sectional area.
 When using a wire with a larger cross-sectional area (No. 30 wire), the resistance
was lower compared to a wire with a smaller cross-sectional area (No. 36 wire).

Questions:
1. If one has a certain current in an electric circuit and wishes to decrease this current
to one-third, how could this be done?
We can decrease the current in an electric circuit by increasing the resistance in the
circuit. This can be done by adding a resistor in series with the existing circuit.

The resistance should be chosen such that it is three times the original resistance.
According to Ohm's Law (V = IR), if the voltage remains constant, increasing the
resistance will decrease the current.
2. What current will exist in a resistance of 25 Ohms if 125 volts are applied across the
resistor?
Using Ohm's Law (V = IR), We can calculate the current:
I=V/R
I = 125 volts / 25 ohms
I = 5 amperes
So, a current of 5 amperes will exist in the resistor.
3. Are the following statements true or false:
a. Resistance of a wire varies inversely as its length.
 False.
The resistance of a wire is directly proportional to its length.
Doubling the length of a wire will double its resistance, assuming all other factors
remain constant.

b. Resistance of a wire varies directly as its cross-sectional area.

False.
Resistance is inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area of a wire.
Increasing the cross-sectional area reduces the resistance.
This relationship is described by the formula: R = ρ * (L / A), where ρ is the
resistivity of the material, L is the length, and A is the cross-sectional area.

4. If wire of very small area is used to connect the lights in your house, what two
undesirable effects will result?
Using wire with a very small cross-sectional area for house wiring can lead to two
undesirable effects:
 Overheating:
The wire may not be able to handle the current flowing through it, leading to
overheating, which can cause insulation damage, fire hazards, or even wire
melting.
 Voltage Drop:
Small wires have higher resistance, which can result in a significant voltage drop
across the length of the wire, leading to reduced voltage at the connected devices
and affecting their performance.

5. Find out what size wire is most commonly used in house wiring and its diameter.
House wiring in many countries typically uses copper wire with a gauge or diameter
referred to as "AWG" (American Wire Gauge).
Common sizes for general household wiring are 12 AWG and 14 AWG.
The diameter of a 12 AWG wire is approximately 0.0808 inches (2.05 mm), while the
diameter of a 14 AWG wire is approximately 0.0641 inches (1.63 mm).

6. Is the resistance of 100 meters of aluminum wire the same as the resistance of 100
meters of copper wire of the same cross-sectional area? If not, is it more or less?
 The resistance of 100 meters of aluminum wire will be higher than that of 100 meters
of copper wire of the same cross-sectional area.
Aluminum has a higher resistivity than copper, which means it offers more resistance
to the flow of electric current.
Therefore, for wires of the same length and cross-sectional area, the aluminum wire
will have a higher resistance.
7. If a wire made of the same metal but of 3 times the length and 4 times the cross-
sectional area is used in place of a wire with a resistance of 60 ohms, what is the
new resistance?
Let the original wire's length be L and cross-sectional area be A, and its resistance be
R.
If a new wire made of the same metal but with 3 times the length (3L) and 4 times
the cross-sectional area (4A) is used, the new resistance (R') can be calculated as
follows:
' Resistivity∗Length
R=
Cross−Sectional Area
Resistivity∗3 L
R '=
4A
If the resistivity of the metal remains the same, the new resistance will be:

R '= ( 43 LA )∗ρ
R '=( )∗R
3
4
3
Therefore, the new resistance is ×60 ohms = 45 ohms.
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