1.

Aim of the experiment

The aim of this experiment is to verify Ohm’s Law, by understanding the relationship
between voltage and current for given resistors.

2. Apparatus and components

Below are the apparatus and components used to carry the experiment:

• DC Power Supply: A DC power supply is an electronic device that generates a

stable and continuous flow of electrical current with a fixed polarity and voltage
level.

• Resistors: Resistors are electrical components with two terminals that are used
for either limiting or adjusting the flow of current in electrical circuits. In our
experiment, we used three resistors: 120Ω, 390Ω and 560Ω as shown below.

• Multimeter: A multimeter is an electrical measuring instrument that is used to

measure different electrical properties like resistance, voltage and current. It can
also be used to troubleshoot and find issues or interruptions that may have
occurred in a circuit.

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• Conducting wires: Conducting wires or cables are used to conduct electric
current and voltage from one point of a circuit to another.

• Breadboard: A breadboard is a rectangular plastic board with small holes in it.

These holes enable you to insert electronic components to build and test an
electronic circuit.

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3. Practical circuit layout
• Below are two illustrations of the circuit layout of this experiment. The two
pictures clearly illustrate all the apparatus listed above, from the DC power
supply where current is flowing from, to the breadboard that consists of
connected resistor. Three different resistors and voltage levels were used, but for
the purpose of illustration, only one is shown below.

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4. Procedure
Below is a list of all the steps taken to carry out this experiment.
I. Prepare and gather all necessary apparatus, including the DC power supply,
conducting wires, multimeter, breadboard, and the 120Ω resistor.
II. Ensure that the output button of the DC power supply is turned off.
III. Set the current to 1A and set the voltage to 3V on the DC power supply.
IV. Set the multimeter to 200mA to prepare to measure current in the circuit.
V. Insert the resistor into the desired rows on the breadboard, ensuring a secure
connection.
VI. Connect one end of the resistor to the positive terminal (+) of the DC power
supply using a red conducting wire, leaving the other end free.
VII. Connect the black measuring wire of the multimeter to the negative terminal (-)
of the DC power supply using the black conducting wire to create a gap in the
circuit.
VIII. Double-check the connections to verify that the resistor is connected in series
with the power supply.
IX. Bridge the gap created in the circuit by connecting the red measuring wire of the
multimeter to complete the circuit.
X. Switch on the output on the DC power supply to enable current flow into the
circuit.
XI. The same steps listed above can be repeated to measure the voltage drop across
the connected resistor but without creating a gap since voltage is measured in
parallel instead of series measurement as compared to measuring current.
XII. Repeat all the steps to measure current and voltage of the other two resistors
(390Ω and 560Ω) interchanging the supplied voltage from 3V to 5V and to 9V.
XIII. Record the current and voltage readings observed from this experiment.

5. Results
The following table presents the measured results obtained during the experiment
investigating the behaviour of electric circuits with the given resistors (120Ω, 390Ω and
560Ω). These measurements include current readings (measured in mA) through the
different resistors, recorded at various voltage levels supplied by the DC power source
(3V, 5V and 9V). The data serves to illustrate the relationship between voltage, current,
and resistance in series circuits, providing valuable insights into the practical
application of Ohm's Law.

Resistors (Ω) 3Vdc 5Vdc 9Vdc

120 23.7mA 40.6mA 73.4mA
390 7.5mA 12.7mA 23.3mA
560 5.3mA 8.9mA 16.1mA

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6. Calculations
The calculations in this section were done to prove and to validate the experimental
results obtained during measurements using the principles and equations of Ohm’s
Law.

120Ω
𝑉 3
𝐼= = = 25𝑚𝐴
𝑅 120
𝑉 5
𝐼= = = 42𝑚𝐴
𝑅 120
𝑉 9
𝐼= = = 75𝑚𝐴
𝑅 120

390Ω
𝑉 3
𝐼= = = 8𝑚𝐴
𝑅 390
𝑉 5
𝐼= = = 13𝑚𝐴
𝑅 390
𝑉 9
𝐼= = = 23𝑚𝐴
𝑅 390

560Ω
𝑉 3
𝐼= = = 5𝑚𝐴
𝑅 560
𝑉 5
𝐼= = = 9𝑚𝐴
𝑅 560
𝑉 9
𝐼= = = 16𝑚𝐴
𝑅 560

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7. Discussion
Ohm’s Law states that the voltage across a resistor is directly proportional to the
current that flows through the resistor. (“Ohm's Law: Definition, Formula, Limitations,
Derivation, Diagram”) From this definition of Ohm’s Law, we can further elaborate that
voltage increases with current and vice versa. I am stating and elaborating this law as an
introduction to the discussion of the results observed during this experiment.
From the experimental results displayed in the previous sections we can observe that in
respect to the 120Ω resistor, when 3V was supplied to the circuit, a current reading of
23.7mA was obtained, as voltage increased to 5v, the current reading increased to
40.6mA and again after voltage increased to 9V, current increased to 73.4mA. The same
is true for the other two resistors (390Ω and 560Ω).
Observing from the same experimental results of all the resistors, we observe another
trend or pattern regarding Ohm’s law, that as resistance increased from 120Ω up to
560Ω, the current flowing through each resistor and the voltage across each of the
resistors decreased. So, then we can further add on the Ohm’s law principle that
resistance is inversely proportional to voltage and current simultaneously.
Everything discussed above can also be observed from the calculated results. The last
thing observed from the results obtained is that the values of the current and voltage
readings of the experimental and calculated results vary at a certain degree, this is due
to several factors that will be discussed in detail on the conclusions section that
follows.

8. Conclusion
Ohm’s law was clearly defined and elaborated in the previous section that current, and
voltage are inversely proportional to resistance, this is principle has been validated by
both our experimental and calculated findings. From these findings we can further
discuss other observations obtained from this experiment.
The variation of the current and voltage values between the experimental method and
the calculations method can be caused by several factors that may have occurred
during the experiment. These factors could include the accuracy of equipment,
temperature, length of conducting wires and human errors.
The accuracy of the used equipment can influence the reliability of the experimental
results obtained, this equipment could include the multimeter used, the breadboard or
the power supply, whereas during calculations this factor cannot be considered.
Temperature can be a large factor to influence the experimental results obtained due to
the relationship between temperature and electric charges. A higher temperature can
lead to an increase in resistance and a decrease in the flow of electric charges, in other
words, the higher the temperature, the higher the resistance to the flow of electrons and
electric current (Cowen, 2015).

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Another factor that could influence the results obtained from the experimental method
is the length and thickness of the conducting wires. The longer the length of the wires,
the higher the resistance in the conducting wires, and as discussed this will lead to a
decrease in current and voltage. The opposite applies to the thickness of the
conducting wires. The thicker the conducting wires, the lesser the resistance and the
higher the flow of charge, which increases the voltage and current.
Human errors are the most common factors that affect experimental results in various
experiments. These errors could include errors measurement technique, recording data
inaccurately, or misinterpreting instrument readings. For example, if a reading is
misread by 2 decimals it could affect the reliability of that experiment.
By considering these factors, researchers and engineers can better understand and
interpret variations between experimental and calculated results in electric circuits
experiments, leading to more accurate conclusions.
Overall, we can conclude that that the aim of this experiment was achieved, as Ohm’s
law has been verified and the relationship between current, voltage and resistance has
been clearly discussed.

9. Referencing
Apama, 2024. CAREER POWER. [Online]
Available at: https://www.careerpower.in/school/physics/ohms-law
[Accessed 18 March 2024].

Cowen, R., 2015. SCIENCENEWS EXPLORES. [Online]

Available at: https://www.snexplores.org/article/explainer-temperature-and-electrical-
resistance
[Accessed 18 March 2024].

Zavier, T., 2023. Tech Journal. [Online]

Available at: https://techjournal.org/dc-power-supplies-what-they-are-and-how-to-use-them
[Accessed 19 March 2024].

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