Ohm’s Law

• Georg Ohm
• Ohm’s Law
• Ohm’s Law Chart
• Ohm’s Law Practice
 Georg Ohm

Georg Simon Ohm 1789-1854

German Physicist / School
Teacher
Discovered the mathematical
relationship between current,
voltage, and resistance
 Ohm’s Law
If you know 2 of the 3 quantities, you can solve for the third.

Quantities Abbreviations Units Label

Voltage V or E Volts V
Current I Amperes A
Resistance R Ohms Ω

V=IR I=V/R R=V/I

 Ohm’s Law Chart
Cover the quantity that is unknown.

V Solve for V

I R V=IR
 Ohm’s Law Chart
Cover the quantity that is unknown.

V Solve for I

I R I=V/R
 Ohm’s Law Chart
Cover the quantity that is unknown.

V Solve for R

I R R=V/I
 New Prefixes

mA Milliamp = 0.001 amps

KΩ Kilo ohm = 1000 ohms

When making circuit measurements, it is
important to always work
The Equivalent Unitsinare…
Equivalent
Units.

KΩ V mA
 OR

Ω V A

For our lab, we will be using

V, KΩ and mA.
 Your Turn!

V
I R
V V
mA KΩ A Ω
Remember our Multimeter?

Let’s look at how they are used to

measure variables in Ohm’s Law.
 Measuring Voltage
Measure across a component.

Switch

Battery

Resistor

Light
 Measuring Current
Circuit flow must go through the meter.

Switch

Battery

Resistor

Light
 Measuring Resistance
Measure across the component being tested.
Power must be off or removed from the circuit.
Switch

Battery

Resistor

Light
Now Back to Ohm’s Law
 Ohm’s Law Practice
Create a series circuit with a 6V DC source and the 5.1 K
and 10 K fixed resistors with the color bands visible.

Calculating Resistance
• Power the circuit and use a multimeter to
measure the voltage drop across each fixed
resistor. Add those values to get the total
voltage. Record that value on your activity
page, using volts for your units.
• Remove one of the connectors and measure
the current with the power on. Record that
value on your activity page, using mA
(milliamps) for your unit.
 Ohm’s Law Practice
Calculating Resistance
• Use Ohm’s Law to calculate the total resistance
delivered by the fixed resistors. Record that value on
your activity page. KΩ will be your measurement unit.

• Remove the fixed resistors from the circuit and

determine the value of each using the color bands. Add
the values together. Record that total value on your
activity page. KΩ will be your measurement unit.

How close were the calculated and color band

resistance values?
 Ohm’s Law Practice
Create a series circuit with a DC source and fixed
resistors 100 K and 100.

Calculating Voltage
• With the power off, use the multimeter to measure the
resistance of each fixed resistor. Total resistance will be
the sum of each of the measured resistances. Record
the resistances, and their sum, on your activity page.
KΩ will be your measurement unit.

• Remove one of the connectors and measure the current

with the power on. Record that value on your activity
page. mA will be your measurement unit.
 Ohm’s Law Practice

Calculating Voltage
• Use Ohm’s Law to calculate the voltage of the circuit.
Record that value on your activity page. V (volts) will
be your measurement unit.

• Power the circuit and use a multimeter to measure the

voltage drop across each fixed resistor. Add those
values to get the total voltage. Record the total voltage
on your activity page. mA will be your measurement
unit.

How close were the calculated and measured voltage

values?
 Ohm’s Law Practice
Create a series circuit with a DC source and fixed
resistors 1 K and 5.1 K.

Calculating Current
• With the power off, use the multimeter to measure the
resistance of each fixed resistor. Total resistance will be
the sum of each of the measured resistances. Record
the resistances, and their sum, on your activity page.
KΩ will be your measurement unit.

• Power the circuit and use a multimeter to measure the

voltage drop across each fixed resistor. Add those
values to get the total voltage. Record that value on your
activity page. V (volts) will be your measurement unit.
 Ohm’s Law Practice

Calculating Current
•Use Ohm’s Law to calculate the current of the circuit.
Record that value on your activity page. mA will be your
measurement unit.

•Remove any one connection and measure the current.

Record that value on your activity page. mA will be your
measurement unit.

How close were the calculated and measured current

values?
 Answer the conclusion
questions on your Activity
Sheet!
Image Resources
Microsoft, Inc. (2009). Clip Art. Retrieved January 13, 2009, from
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx