Experiment #3 preliminary report - Voltage and current law

1.objective

Resistance Measurement: Directly measure the actual resistance of a resistor using a DMM.

Current Measurement: Apply various voltages using a VPS and measure the resulting
current with a DMM to verify Ohm's law (V = IR).​

Error Analysis: Analyze the differences between the theoretical calculations and the
experimental measurements to explore potential sources of error.

2.background theory

Ohm’s Law: A fundamental principle in electrical circuits stating that the voltage (V) across a
resistor is proportional to the current (I) flowing through it, with the resistance (R) as the
proportionality constant; i.e., V = IR.​

Direct vs. Indirect Measurement: Resistance can be directly measured using a DMM, while
current is measured by applying a voltage and then comparing the measured current with
the calculated current.​

Importance of the Experiment: Accurate measurements are critical in circuit design and
analysis. This experiment serves to evaluate both the precision of the measurement tools
and the validity of the theoretical model.

3. theoretical background

-ohm’s law

- Formula: V = I × R

V is the voltage (in Volts)​

I is the current (in Amperes)​
R is the resistance (in Ohms)

- Application in Experiment:

Directly measure the resistance, R, using the DMM.

Apply a constant voltage, V, using the VPS, and measure the current, I, using the DMM.

Compare the theoretically calculated current (I = V/R) with the measured current.
4. Measurement Error and Considerations

Measurement Errors​
1. Intrinsic error margins of the DMM​
2. Additional resistances due to contact resistance or the connecting wires​

Stabilization Time: Allow sufficient time for the circuit to stabilize after applying voltage
before taking measurements.​

Temperature Effects: Minimize temperature variations, as the resistor’s value may change
with temperature.

5. experimental method

1.Refer to the circuit diagram in the image and construct the circuit on a breadboard. The
circuit consists of a power supply (VPS), an ammeter (DMM in current mode), a voltmeter
(DMM in voltage mode), and a resistor Rx.​

2.Set the voltage of the VPS to 2V, 4V, 6V, 8V, and 10V in sequence. At each voltage level,
measure the current flowing through the circuit.​

3.Replace Rx with three different resistors (R1, R2, and R3) one at a time, and repeat the
measurements for each resistor. Record the measured current values (IR1, IR2, IR3) in the
provided table.​

4.Analyze whether Ohm’s Law (V = IR) holds true based on the recorded data.

6. prediction

1. Experimental Conditions

Resistor values:

-​ R1 = 100 Ω
-​ R2 = 1.5 kΩ
-​ R3 = 10 kΩ​

Voltage settings: 2V, 4V, 6V, 8V, 10V

 V_s = V_r 2v 4v 6v 8v 10v

I_R_1 0.020A 0.040A 0.060A 0.080A 0.100A

I_R_2 0.00133A 0.00267A 0.00400A 0.00533A 0.00667A

I_R_3 0.00020A 0.00040A 0.00060A 0.00080A 0.00100A

​
3. Analysis & Prediction

-​ For all resistors, the current is expected to increase proportionally with voltage, in
accordance with Ohm’s Law.​

-​ Higher resistance results in smaller current. Especially for R3=10 kΩ the current is
expected to be very low.​

-​ The voltage-current relationship will show a linear trend for each resistor.

​
Experiment #3 result report - Voltage and current law

1. Objective

To verify Ohm’s Law by measuring the current through different resistors when a variable
voltage is applied, and to observe the linear relationship between voltage and current.

2. Experimental Setup

Resistor values:

-​ R1 = 100 Ω
-​ R2 =1.5 kΩ
-​ R3 =10 kΩ

Voltage settings: 2V, 4V, 6V, 8V, 10V

Instruments used:

-​ Digital Multimeter (DMM) for current measurement

-​ Variable Power Supply (VPS) for voltage application​

3. Experiment Results
V_s = V_r 2v 4v 6v 8v 10v

I_R_1 0.020A 0.040A 0.060A 0.080A 0.100A

I_R_2 0.00142A 0.00273A 0.00413A 0.00533A 0.00678A

I_R_3 0.00020A 0.00040A 0.00060A 0.00080A 0.00100A

4. Analysis

-​ Linearity Confirmation:​
All three resistors exhibited a proportional increase in current as voltage increased,
demonstrating the linear relationship predicted by Ohm’s Law (V=IRV = IRV=IR).​

-​ Error Consideration:​
Minor deviations from theoretical values may be due to:​

1.​ Instrument precision limits​

2.​ Contact resistance on the breadboard​

3.​ Environmental factors such as temperature or electrical noise​

Especially for R2R_2R2​and R3R_3R3​, the current values were relatively small, so
measurement resolution and noise might have affected the readings.​

-​ Trend Observation:​
The rate of increase in current was consistent for each resistor and aligned well with
the expected theoretical values. The experiment confirms the predictable inverse
relationship between resistance and current.​

5. Conclusion

-​ The experiment successfully confirmed that current increases linearly with voltage for
fixed resistors, in accordance with Ohm’s Law.​

-​ The measured current values closely matched theoretical expectations for all three
resistors.​

-​ With further improvements in experimental setup and measurement precision, even

more accurate results could be obtained.​
Example question