EXPERIMENT NO.

3
Ohm’s Law

OBJECTIVES

1. Investigate what happens to the current of a circuit when the resistance is

increased or decreased.
2. Investigate what happens to the current of a circuit when the voltage is
increased or decreased.
3. Demonstrate the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance by
graphing.

EQUIPMENT LIST

PC installed with Multisim

1-DC Power Supply
1-DC Ammeter
4-Resistors of different values (To Be Assigned by your Instructor)

INTRODUCTION

The knowledge of the fundamental laws of electricity is needed in solving circuit

problems. One of the most important laws of electricity relates current, voltage, and
resistance. This is known as Ohm’s Law. Georg Simon Ohm, in whose honor the basic unit
of electrical resistance is named, formulated it. Ohm’s Law states that when one volt
pressure forces one ampere of current through a circuit, the circuit will have a resistance
of one ohm. The international ohm is the resistance offered to the flow of a direct current
by a column of mercury 106.3 cm long at 0 C, constant in cross-section and having a
mass of 14.4521 g.

The volt, unit of electrical pressure was named in honor of Allesandro Volta. He
invented the “electrophorus”, a device for producing an electric charge by induction.
However, he is much better known for the invention of the voltaic pile, a stack of
alternating dissimilar metals separated by electrolyte sheets. This became the basis for
the construction of all primary and secondary cells.

The ampere, unit of electrical current flow was named in honor of Andre Marie
Ampere. He studied the relationship of electricity and magnetism and worked in
electrodynamics. His Ampere’s Law is a transposition of Ohm’s Law which states that the
current flow is determined by dividing the voltage by resistance.
PROCEDURE

Part 1 – Simulation

1. Record in Table 3.1 the coded value of each resistor.

2. From the simulation software, connect the circuit as shown in Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.1 Measuring current in a circuit with varying resistance values

3. Using a supply of 3 V, measure the current through R1 and record the result in Table 3.1
under Simulated Values.

4. Substitute R2 for R1 in the circuit of Figure 3.1.

A. Repeat Procedure 3.
B. Did the current increase or decrease in value? ______

5. Substitute R3 for R2 in the circuit of Figure 3.1.

A. Repeat Procedure 3.
B. Did the current increase or decrease in value? ______

6. Substitute R4 for R3 in the circuit of Figure 3.1.

A. Repeat Procedure 3.
B. Did the current increase or decrease in value? ______

7. Write your observations based on the results of Procedure 3-6.

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8. Plot the graph of current against the resistances of Procedure 3-6 with the current as
the dependent variable.

9. Connect R1 back into the circuit of Figure 3.1.

A. Using a supply of 4.5 V, measure the current through R1. Record the result in Table
3.2 under Simulated Values.
B. Comparing this with the result of Procedure 3, did the current increase or decrease
in value? _____

10. Using a supply of 6 V, repeat Procedure 9. Did the current increase or decrease in
value? _____

11. Using a supply of 7.5 V, repeat Procedure 9. Did the current increase or decrease in
value? _____

12. Write your observations based on the results of Procedure 3, 9, 10, and 11.
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13. Plot the graph of current against the voltages of Procedure 3, 9, 10, and 11 with the
current as the dependent variable.

Table 3.1 Current with Voltage Held Constant

Resistance Current (A)

Resistor Coded Simulated Measured % Deviation
Value (Ω) Value Value
R1
R2
R3
R4

Table 3.2 Current with Resistance Held Constant

Current (A)
Voltage (V) Simulated Measured % Deviation
Value Value
Part 2 - Hardwired Experiment

14. Repeat Procedure 1-13 with the hardwired components. Record all currents in Table
3.1 and 3.2 under the Measured values.

15. Calculate the percent deviation of the currents in Table 3.1 and Table 3.2 using the
formula

|𝑆𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 − 𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒|

% 𝐷𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = x 100%
𝑆𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒

CONCLUSION
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QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS

1. Based on the outcome of this experiment, state Ohm’s Law in your own words.
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2. Is it possible to have a non-linear relationship between current and voltage in an

electric circuit? Explain.
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3. Does a change in the temperature of an electrical device constitute a change in

current? Explain.
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4. What type of curves represent the results of Procedure 3-6 and Procedure 3, 9-11? Do
these graphs depict Ohm’s law? Explain.
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5. A carbon resistor at room temperature 20C is attached to a 9V battery and the current
measured through the resistor is 3mA. (a) What is the resistance of the resistor measured?
(b) If the temperature of the resistor is increased to 60C by heating the resistor, what is
the current through the resistor?
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