COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Printed: August 11, 2014

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

tabular tabulartabu
Name:

Date performed:

Date submitted:

Score:

Group Members:

Instructor:

Section:

Prelab: Ohms Law

PI

LO
T

CO
PY

Draw a flowchart of the procedure for this experiment. The flowchart should show the relevant steps
and precautions for the experiment. It must be concise, but it must also be complete. Make sure that
the flowchart is neat and easy to read. If necessary, you may use additional sheets of paper for the
flowchart and attach them to this sheet before submission.

c
2013
Lab manual authors

Printed: August 11, 2014

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

PI

LO
T

CO
PY

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

c
2013
Lab manual authors

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Printed: August 11, 2014

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

Experiment 2
Ohms Law
Objectives
By the end of this activity, you should be able to:
compute for the resistance of a wire given its dimensions and resistivity

CO
PY

measure the resistance of a wire using an ohmmeter

obtain relevant information from plots involving current, voltage, and resistance
differentiate ohmic and non-ohmic materials using voltage-current plots

Introduction

If a point charge is placed in a region where a potential difference exists, the electric field created by
this potential difference will cause the charge to move. The charge can either move along the field (if
the charge is positive) or opposite the field (if the charge is negative). The movement of charges is
referred to as electric current, or simply, current. How fast or how slow the charges move depends
on the potential difference and the resistance of the material through which the charges travel. The
higher the resistance, the harder it will be for the charges to move given the same potential difference.

LO
T

For certain materials, the relationship between voltage and current is linear i.e., increasing the
voltage by some factor will also increase the current by the same factor. This is Ohms Law, which
was discovered empirically by Georg Simon Ohm in the 1820s. Not all materials obey Ohms Law.
Those that do are called ohmic materials, and those that do not are called non-ohmic materials.

PI

In this activity, you will determine the relationship between voltage and current for different materials. You will also learn how to measure the actual resistance of an object, and you will be comparing
this measured value with the values calculated from the physical characteristics of the material.

Theory

When a potential difference is applied across two ends of a metallic conductor, a current will go through
it. The resistance is defined as the ratio of the potential difference (or voltage, V ) to the current, I:
V
.
(1)
I
The SI units for potential and current are Volts (V) and Amperes (A), respectively. The SI unit for
resistance is ohm (), with 1 = 1 V/A.
R=

For certain materials, the resistance is independent of the voltage and the current. In these cases,
the voltage across and the current through the material are directly proportional to each other. This
c
2013
Lab manual authors

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

Printed: August 11, 2014
COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL
Table 1. Resistivity and temperature coefficients for some common metals.

Metals

20 ( m)

( C1 )

Silver

1.65 108

0.0040

Copper

1.78 108

0.0042

Aluminum

3.21 108

0.0038

Gold

2.42 108

0.0040

Nichrome

1.00 106

0.0004

German Nickel

3.30 107

0.0004

Mercury

9.57 107

0.0009

CO
PY

Sources:

Institute of Science and Technology Resource Handbook

Giancoli, Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics

linear relationship is called Ohms Law, and materials that obey it are labeled ohmic. Ohms Law
does not hold for all materials. In some cases, the resistance is dependent on the voltage or the current.
Such materials are called non-ohmic and are characterized by a nonlinear relationship between voltage
and current.
The resistance of a conductor depends on its composition and dimensions. For a wire that has length
L and cross-sectional area A, the resistance is given by

LO
T

R=

L
A

(2)

where is the resistivity of the material. The resistivity is dependent on the composition and temperature of the conductor but the variation of resistivity with temperature is approximately linear:
(T ) = 20 [1 + (T 20 C)] ,

(3)

PI

with the temperature T given in degrees Celsius. The parameters 20 (resistivity at 20 C) and
(temperature coefficient of resistance) are both dependent on the material, and their values for common
metals are given in Table 1. The SI unit for resistivity is m.

Materials
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

PASCOTM power supply

multimeter
digital thermometer
2-m long resistance wire
micrometer caliper
small light bulb
connectors (with alligator clips and banana
plugs)
c
2013
Lab manual authors

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Printed: August 11, 2014

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

Procedure
A. Estimating resistivity and resistance
1. Select three (3) points on the resistance wire that are not too closely spaced. Measure the temperature and diameter of the wire at these three points using the digital thermometer and the
caliper, respectively. Ask your instructor for guidance on how to use the thermometer and the
caliper.

3. Record all data in Table W1.

CO
PY

2. Set the multimeter to ohmmeter mode. Adjust the range so that the value obtained is in the
range, with at least one decimal place. By connecting the ends of the ohmmeter to the ends of
the wire, measure the resistance of the wire.

4. From your measurements and the values given in Table 1, obtain estimates for the resistivity and
the resistance. Compute for the percent deviation of the calculated resistance value from the
ohmmeter reading. Show all pertinent calculations in your worksheet.

LO
T

B. Variation of voltage with current for a 2-m resistance wire

Figure 1. Measurement of voltage and current for the 2-m resistance wire.

PI

1. Copy the value of the resistance of the wire (the ohmmeter measurement) from Table W1 to
Table W2.
2. Using the same connectors, connect the resistance wire to the power supply as shown in Figure 1.
Make sure that the voltage knob is set to zero and the current knob is set to maximum. Have
your instructor check your setup.
3. Gradually increase the voltage by adjusting the voltage knob until the current reading reaches
0.1 A. If the current reading remains zero, do not increase the voltage further. Rather,
check for loose connections or defective wires.
4. Take five (5) readings of current-voltage pairs for uniformly increasing values of current. The
suggested increment step is 0.1 A. Do not increase the current beyond 1.0 A. Record your
data in Table W2.
c
2013
Lab manual authors

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

Printed: August 11, 2014

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

C. Variation of current with resistance for a 2-m resistance wire

CO
PY

Figure 2. Varying the effective length of the wire.

In this section, you will be measuring the current running through the wire for different values of
the resistance. The resistance of the wire is varied by changing the effective length of the wire.

1. Set up the apparatus as shown in Figure 2. With the power supply turned off, connect one
terminal of the power supply with one end of the wire using a banana plug (or alligator clip).
The other terminal will be connected to the resistance wire using an alligator clip. Initially, the
alligator clip is attached to the other end of the resistance wire so that the current will run through
the wires entire length of 200 cm.
2. Set the voltage knob to zero and the current knob to maximum. Turn on the power supply.

LO
T

3. Gradually adjust the voltage knob so that you get a current reading in the range 0.3 A to 0.6 A.
4. Record the value of the voltage used in Table W3 and keep this value constant throughout this
part of the experiment.
5. By changing the position of the alligator clip, obtain the current reading for each of the lengths
specified in Table W3. Each of these lengths corresponds to the length of the portion of the wire
through which the current passes.

PI

6. Turn off the power supply, and replace it with the ohmmeter. Measure the resistance of the wire
for different lengths by moving the alligator clip. The power supply must not be connected to the
wire even if the power supply is turned off. Record your data in Table W3.

D. Variation of voltage with resistance for a 2-m resistance wire

In this section, you will be measuring the voltage across the wire for different values of the resistance.
Refer to the previous section for instructions on how to set up the apparatus (Figure 2).

1. With the power supply turned off, attach the alligator clip to one end of the wire so that the
current will run through the entire length of the wire, which is 200 cm.
6

c
2013
Lab manual authors

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Printed: August 11, 2014

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

2. Set the voltage knob to zero and the current knob to maximum. Turn on the power supply.
3. Gradually adjust the voltage knob so that you get a current reading in the range 0.4 A to 0.8 A.
Record this current value in Table W4, and record the voltage reading in Table W4 in the 200 cm
row.

CO
PY

4. Move the alligator clip so that the effective length of the wire is now 180 cm. Note that the
current reading will immediately change. Since we want the variation of voltage with resistance at
constant current, we have to adjust the voltage knob again until we get the current value obtained
earlier when the effective wire length was 200 cm. Record this new voltage reading in Table W4
in the 180 cm row.
5. Perform the same procedure for each of the remaining lengths in Table W4.

6. Copy the values of resistance for different lengths in Table W3 to Table W4.

E. Variation of voltage with current for a small light bulb

1. Set the multimeter to ammeter mode. Select the range that will give readings in the mA range
with three decimal places.

LO
T

2. Connect the small light bulb in series with the power supply and the ammeter, as shown in Figure
3 below.

PI

Figure 3. Circuit diagram for measuring the voltage and current across a light bulb.

3. Obtain the current reading for different voltage values. Using the voltage reading of the power
supply as a guide, vary the voltage across the power supply in 0.1 V increments, starting from
0.0 V to 1.0 V. The corresponding current values will come from the ammeter.
4. Write down the current and voltage values at which the bulb starts to radiate.
5. Beyond 1.0 V, increase the voltage in increments of 0.5 V and continue taking voltage and current
measurements. Do NOT go beyond 5.0 V.
6. Record all values in Table W5.
c
2013
Lab manual authors

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

Printed: August 11, 2014

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

References
Balista, J. et al., Physics 72.1 Laboratory Manual, (2007).
Giancoli, Douglas C., Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics, 4th Ed, Prentice
Hall, (1995).
Gutierrez, R. et al., Physics 72.1 Laboratory Manual, (2001).
Young, H. et al., University Physics, 12th ed., Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. USA (2008).

PI

LO
T

CO
PY

http://istonline.org.uk/Handbook/IST%20Laboratory%20Handbook.pdf

c
2013
Lab manual authors

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Printed: August 11, 2014

Name:

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

Date performed:

Date submitted:

Score:

Group Members:

Instructor:

Section:

Worksheet: Ohms Law

A. Data summary

CO
PY

Instructions: Do not forget to indicate the units of your measurements. Write down the units in
the space provided in the column headings; if such space is unavailable, write down the units for every
measurement taken. Make sure that all graphs have properly labeled axes with the corresponding units.

Table W1. Measured and calculated parameters for resistivity and resistance.

Trial
1
2
3
Best estimate
Cross-sectional area ( m2 )

Diameter of wire ( m)

Temperature ( C)

LO
T

Length of wire ( m)
Resistivity ( m)

Resistance (from Equation (2))

% deviation

PI

Calculations

Resistance (ohmmeter reading)

c
2013
Lab manual authors

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

Printed: August 11, 2014
COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL
Table W2. Voltage across versus current through the resistance wire

Voltage (

Current (

Parameters held constant

Resistance:

CO
PY

Length of wire:

Table W3. Current through versus resistance across the resistance wire

Length
(cm)

Current
(

Resistance

200
180

1/Resistance
(

Parameter held constant

Voltage:

160
140
120

LO
T

100

Table W4. Voltage versus resistance across the resistance wire

Length
(cm)

PI

200

Voltage

180

Resistance
(

Parameter held constant

Current:

160
140
120
100

10

c
2013
Lab manual authors

Voltage (

Printed: August 11, 2014

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY
Table W5. Voltage versus resistance across the light bulb

Current (

Light bulb started to radiate at

Current:

Voltage (

Current (

CO
PY

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

PI

LO
T

Voltage:

c
2013
Lab manual authors

11

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

Printed: August 11, 2014

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

B. Data analysis

Slope

CO
PY

Figure W1. Make a voltage vs. current plot for the wire using Table W2. Write down below the slope, y-intercept and
R2 value obtained from linear regression, and draw the best fit line.

y-intercept

R2

PI

LO
T

Figure W2. Plot the current vs. the reciprocal of the resistance of the wire using Table W3. Write down below the
slope, y-intercept and R2 value obtained from linear regression, and draw the best fit line.

Slope

12

y-intercept

R2

c
2013
Lab manual authors

Slope

CO
PY

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL
Printed: August 11, 2014
FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY
Figure W3. Plot the voltage vs. the resistance of the wire using Table W4. Write down below the slope, y-intercept
and R2 value obtained from linear regression, and draw the best fit line.

y-intercept

R2

PI

LO
T

Figure W4. Plot the resistance of the wire vs. its length using Table W4. Write down below the slope, y-intercept and
R2 value obtained from linear regression, and draw the best fit line.

Slope

c
2013
Lab manual authors

y-intercept

R2

13

C. Questions

CO
PY

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

Printed: August 11, 2014
COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL
Figure W5. Make a voltage vs. current plot for the light bulb using Table W5. Mark where the bulb starts to radiate.

LO
T

1. In measuring its resistance, the wire was connected to the ohmmeter using connectors made of
copper wire. Do you think this contributed to the deviation between the resistance computed
from Equation (2) and the measured resistance (Table W1)? Explain.

PI

2. Comment on the linear fit obtained for each of the curves in Figures W1, W2 and W3. How well
do these curves conform to their respective best-fit lines? What does this imply?

14

c
2013
Lab manual authors

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Printed: August 11, 2014

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

3. The slope and the y-intercept in Figures W1, W2 and W3 represent certain quantities in the
experiment. In the following table, write down the values of the slope and y-intercept, the quantities they represent, the expected values of these quantities and the percent deviation. Include
all corresponding units.
corresponding quantity
Figure

slope

y-int

experimental value
slope

y-int

expected value
slope

y-int

%deviation
slope

y-int

W1
W2

CO
PY

W3

LO
T

4. Calculate the resistivity from Figure W4, and compute the percent deviation of this value from
that obtained in Table W1. Show all calculations below.

PI

5. Describe the shape of the voltage versus current plot of the light bulb (a) before it starts to radiate
and (b) after it has begun to radiate. Compare this with the voltage versus current plot of the
resistance wire. Does the light bulb obey Ohms Law? Explain.

c
2013
Lab manual authors

15

Printed: August 11, 2014

COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

PI

LO
T

CO
PY

FOR PILOT SECTIONS ONLY

16

c
2013
Lab manual authors