Ohms Law

I=V/R

I = Current (Amperes) (amps)

V = Voltage (Volts)

R = Resistance (ohms)

Georg Simon Ohm (1787-1854)

VOLTAGE (V)

It is the push or pressure behind

current flow through a circuit, and is
measured in (V) volts.
CURRENT

Current refers to the quantity/volume

of electrical flow. Measured in Amps
(A)
RESISTANCE

Resistanceto the flow of the current.

Measured in Ohms
How you should
be thinking about
electric circuits:

Voltage: a force that

pushes the current
through the circuit (in
this picture it would be
equivalent to gravity)
How you
should be
thinking about
electric
circuits:
Resistance: friction that
impedes flow of current
through the circuit
(rocks in the river)
How you
should be
thinking about
electric
circuits:
Current: the actual
substance that is
flowing through the
wires of the circuit
(electrons!)
 4.2 - Ohms Law
Cause
Effect
Opposition
Every conversion of energy from one form to
another can be related to this equation.
In electric circuits the effect we are trying to
establish is the flow of charge, or current. The
potential difference, or voltage between two points is
the cause (pressure), and resistance is the
opposition encountered.
Ohms Law

Simple analogy: Water in a hose

Electrons in a copper wire are analogous to water in a hose.
Consider the pressure valve as the applied voltage and the size of the
hose as the source of resistance.
The absence of pressure in the hose, or voltage across the wire will
result in a system without motion or reaction.
A small diameter hose will limit the rate at which water will flow, just as
a small diameter copper wire limits the flow of electrons.
 Power

Power is an indication of how much work (the

conversion of energy from one form to another) can be
done in a specific amount of time; that is, a rate of doing
work.
 Power
W
P
t
1 Watt (W) 1 joule / second
Power can be delivered or absorbed as defined by
the polarity of the voltage and the direction of the
current.
Energy

Energy (W) lost or gained by any system is determined

by:
W = Pt
Since power is measured in watts (or joules per second)
and time in seconds, the unit of energy is the wattsecond
(Ws) or joule (J)
 Energy
The watt-second is too small a quantity for most
practical purposes, so the watt-hour (Wh) and
kilowatt-hour (kWh) are defined as follows:
Energy (Wh) power (W) time (h)
power (W) time (h)
Energy (kWh)
1000
The killowatt-hour meter is an instrument used
for measuring the energy supplied to a residential
or commercial user of electricity.
4.6 - Efficiency

Efficiency () of a system is determined by the following

equation:
=P o / Pi

Where: = efficiency (decimal number)

Po = power output
Pi = power input
 Efficiency
The basic components of a generating (voltage) system are
depicted below, each component has an associated
efficiency, resulting in a loss of power through each stage.

Insert Fig 4.19

Would This Work?
Would This Work?
Would This Work?
The Central Concept: Closed Circuit
Let's see how these equations might work to help us analyze
simple circuits:

If we know the values of any two of the three

quantities (voltage, current, and resistance) in
this circuit, we can use Ohm's Law to determine
the third.
calculate the amount of current (I) in a circuit, given values of voltage
(E) and resistance (R):
calculate the amount of resistance (R) in a circuit, given values of
voltage (E) and current (I):
calculate the amount of voltage supplied by a battery, given values
of current (I) and resistance (R):
 a) Current versus voltage:

S.NO: Voltage (V) R (K) Measured I (mA) RT (K) Calculated I (mA)

1 5 2.2 3.2

2 10 2.2 3.2

3 15 2.2 3.2

4 20 2.2 3.2

5 25 2.2 3.2

6 30 2.2 3.2
 OBSERVATIONS:

b) Current versus resistance:

S.NO: Voltage (V) R(K) RT (K) Measured I (mA) Calculated RT

(K)

S.NO: Voltage (V) R (K) Measured I (mA) RT (K) Calculated I (mA)

1 5 2.2 3.2
1 20
2 10 1 2.2 3.2
3 15 2.2 3.2
4 20 2.2 3.2
2 20 2.2
5 25 2.2 3.2
6 30 2.2 3.2
3 20 3.3

4 20 3.9

5 20 4.7