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Voltage Lab

1) The document describes an experiment to investigate the relationship between current and voltage. It was predicted that current would increase linearly with voltage. 2) Voltage was the independent variable and was manually adjusted. Current was measured as the dependent variable. 3) Data was collected by passing current through a light bulb and measuring voltage and current. The data showed a linear relationship initially, but curved at higher voltages as bulb resistance changed.

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Danny
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355 views3 pages

Voltage Lab

1) The document describes an experiment to investigate the relationship between current and voltage. It was predicted that current would increase linearly with voltage. 2) Voltage was the independent variable and was manually adjusted. Current was measured as the dependent variable. 3) Data was collected by passing current through a light bulb and measuring voltage and current. The data showed a linear relationship initially, but curved at higher voltages as bulb resistance changed.

Uploaded by

Danny
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Danny Foster

Mr. Kedvesh
Physics
6 March 2015

Current vs. Voltage

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to mathematically and graphically


find the relationship between current and voltage. My prediction is that as we
increase voltage we will increase current; a linear relationship.
Independent Variable: Voltage (V) The voltage used in the lab is manually
changed in order to see the effect it will have on the current.
Dependent Variable: Current (ohm) - The total current is dependent on the
voltage used for each trail.
Apparatus:
Materials

Power Supply
Wire
Round light bulb
Volt meter
Ammeter
Laptop

Procedure:
1. Connect a wire to both the positive and negative outputs on the power
supply.
2. The positive wire should connect to the negative input on the ammeter.
3. The negative wire should connect to one side of the light bulb.
4. Connect one from the positive output on the ammeter to the light bulb.
5. Have the positive and negative lead of the volt meter placed on each side
of the light bulb.
6. Turn on the power supply and then have the current output (the two
leftmost knobs) to their fullest while making sure the voltage is at zero.
7. Increase the voltage by 1 volt while measuring the current displayed on
the ammeter and making sure the voltmeter is displaying the correct
voltage.
Constants: Same The ammeter, the volt meter, the power supply, the
voltage (keeping it a whole number)

Raw Data:

Voltage (V) vs. Current (Amps)


0.7
f(x) = 0.08x
R = 0.98

0.6
0.5
0.4

Current (Amps)

0.3
0.2
0.1
0

10

Voltage (V)

Voltage
(V)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Current
(Amps)
0
0.16
0.24
0.32
0.36
0.43
0.46
0.51
0.56
0.6

Conclusion:
Possible Error: A common error that could have happened was only going by
the voltage meter on the power supply and not checking the volt meter to
assure that its the correct voltage. This error could skew the data quite a bit.
The relationship between current and voltage is direct but the data points curve
near the end because of the changing resistance of the light bulb. This was
supported by our graph which shows a constant positive slope until it reaches a

certain point. The y-intercept is 0 amps meaning that when the circuit has a voltage
of zero, the current is also zero. This makes sense because there would be no
current going through the circuit if there was no voltage. The slope is the inverse of
the resistance and our slope was 0.0751 volts/amp. This means that the resistance
of the light bulb was 13.31 ohms. The area under the graph represents the power.
Power = current x voltage 0.6 amps x 9 volts = 6.08 watts.
Current(amps)=0.0751(Voltage) + 0
NOS & Discussion:
My original prediction was that as the voltage increased, so would the current. The
data gathered in this lab supported my prediction by a linear data set.
New Terms:
Current The direction of positive charge flow.
Voltage The difference in charge between the two points.
Resistance The ratio of the voltage applied to the electric current which
flows through it.
Ohmic A material that obeys Ohms law
Provided the physical conditions such as temperature are kept
constant, the resistance is constant over a wide range of applied
potential differences, and therefore the potential difference is directly
proportional to the current flowing.
Non-ohmic A material that does not obey Ohms law
The data collected in this lab was empirically based because we learned the
relationship between current and voltage. After the lab was concluded, we observed
the data to reach a conclusion on the relationship between voltage and current.

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