CURRENT, VOLTAGE,

AND RESISTANCE
• Voltage: the charge (electron) “pusher.” Voltage
causes current to flow/move.
• Voltage sources:
• Battery
• Generator
• Outlets
• Symbol for voltage = V
• Unit for voltage = Volts (V)
•  
Electric Current

rate of flow of an electric charge

which is given by:

Where Q = total charge, t = time, and I is the current

The standard unit of electric current is the ampere which is defined

as 1 coulomb per second (1 A = 1 C/s)
 EXAMPLES

Charge Current Time

1 50 C 5s
2 0.2 A 2 minutes
3 120 C 12 A
4 0.2 C 300 s
5 50 mA 25 s
 Sample Problem # 1

If 3 Coulombs of charge flows through a wire in a time of

2 seconds what is the electric current?

ANS: 0.5 A
 Sample Problem # 2

Suppose 6.40x1021 electrons pass through a wire in 2

minutes. Find the current

NOTE:
Q = nq, where n is the number of particles and q is the charge of the individual
particles
-e = 1.60 x10-19 C
2 VIEW OF CHARGES FLOWING IN A
CONDUCTOR
 RESISTANCE

• Resistance: opposes the push from the voltage source.

Resistance affects the speed of the current.

• Symbol for Resistance = R

• Unit for Resistance = Ohms (Ώ)
 GEORG OHM (1789 – 1854)

• German physicist
• Ohm determined that there is a
direct proportionality between
the voltage applied across a
conductor and the electric
current.
• This relationship is known as
Ohm's law.
 FACTORS THAT AFFECT
RESISTIVITY OF (WIRES)

1. Material
2. Length
3. Cross-sectional area of the wire
4. Temperature
CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF
THE WIRE
MATERIAL OF THE WIRE

2.
8
 RESISTANCE

l
R  
A

R is the resistance which proportional to the length (L) and inversely

proportional to the cross-sectional area of the material (A) and ( ᵖ ) as the
resistivity of the material

The units for resistance is Ohms (Ω)

 SAMPLE PROBLEM #3

A wire of uniform cross-section has a resistance of R . What

would be the resistance of a similar wire, made of the same
material, but twice as long and of twice the diameter?
 SAMPLE PROBLEM #4

What is the resistance of a 6.0m length of nichrome wire that has

a radius of 0.321 mm?
The resistivity of nichrome is 150x10-8 Ω•m
 SAMPLE PROBLEM # 5

A wire has a resistance of 100 ohms. (a) if the wire’s length is

doubled, what is its new resistance? (b) if the radius of the wire is
quadrupled what is its new resistance?
 RESISTORS

• Are two terminal electrical components used to reduce

current flow and at the same time may act to lower voltage
levels within circuits.

• measured in ohms (Ω)

C OLO R C OD IN G P R A C TIC E # 1
C OLO R C OD IN G P R A C TIC E # 2