ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY

NATURAL SCIENCE FRESHMAN STREAM

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
PHYSICS LABORATORY REPORT
GROUP NUMBER 10

NAME ID NUMBER
1 ABDI DINKA UGR/3014/17
2 BEAMLAK BEKELE UGR/6012/17
3 AMANUEL ZEMENE UGR/0079/17
4 AMANUEL MITIKU UGR/6217/17

NAME OF INSTRUCTOR: ATO EMIRU ASEFA

NAME OF LAB ASSISTANT: DR. GIZAW BIRHANU
DATE OF EXPERIMENT: 06/12/2024
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 13/12/2024
Title:Investigating The Relationship Between Current,Voltage
And Resistance :Ohm’s Law
Introduction:An Ohm's Law is defines relationship between voltage, current,
and resistance in a conductor, demonstrating that the current flowing through a
conductor is directly proportional to the applied voltage, with the constant of
proportionality being the conductor's resistance (represented by the equation V =
IR), where V is voltage, I is current, and R is resistance; this relationship is known as
Ohm's Law.

Objective:To measure the current flowing through a resistor at different

applied voltages and confirm that the resulting data aligns with Ohm's Law.

Theory

Voltage (V): Voltage or electric potential difference is the driving force that causes
current to flow in a circuit.

current (I): Current is the flow of electric charge (typically electrons) through a
conductor.

Resistance (R): Resistance is the opposition that a material offers to the flow of
electric current. It depends on factors such as the material, length, and cross-sectional
area of the conductor.

Proportionality in Ohm's Law:direct proportionality between voltage and

current if the resistance is constant, an increase in the applied voltage leads to
increase in current and inverse proportionality between current and resistance is
the voltage is constant, an increase in resistance results in a decrease in current.

Ohm’s Law in Practice:The law is applicable only to Ohmic materials, which have a
constant resistance over a range of applied voltages (for example, metallic
conductors) and Non-ohmic materials (such as diodes or transistors) do not follow
Ohm's Law as their resistance varies with voltage
Apparatus:Power supply (variable DC source),Ammeter (to measure
current),Voltmeter (to measure voltage),Resistor (with 13.7Ω and 50Ω
Resistor),Connecting wires and Switch.

Procedure:

1. Set up the circuit with a variable power supply, ammeter, voltmeter, and one
resistor ( 13.7 Ω).
2. Connect the positive terminal of the power supply to one end of the resistor
and Connect the other end of the resistor to the ammeter, and then to the
voltmeter.
3. Connect the negative terminal of the voltmeter to the negative terminal of
the power supply and Set the power supply to a small voltage (e.g., 1V).
4. Close the switch and measure the current using the ammeter and the voltage
across the resistor using the voltmeter.
5. Record the current and voltage readings for different voltage settings (1V, 2V,
3V,4V,5V and 6V).
6. Ensure the readings are stable and accurate before recording them.
7. Repeat for 50Ω reistor same step and record each value carefully.
8. After completing the measurements, turn off the power supply and
disconnect the circuit.

DATA:resistance(R),potential difference(v) and current ( I)

Table1: Data collected by using 13.7Ω resistor.
Serial number Current in(MA) POTENTIAL resistance
DIFFERENCEIN VOLT(v) R=V/I in ohm (Ω)

1 70 1 14.29

2 130 2 15.38

3 200 3 15.00

4 270 4 14.81

5 330 5 15.15

6 400 6 15.00
Table 2:data collected by using resistor of 50Ω.
Serial number Current in POTENTIAL resistance
milliampere DIFFERENCE IN R=V/I in ohm (Ω)
(MA) VOLT(v)
1 20 1 50
2 40 2 50
3 60 3 50
4 80 4 50
5 100 5 50
6 120 6 50

DATA ANALYSIS on ohm’s law

Graph of voltage vs current relationship (ohm’s law) for 13.7Ω resistance( table: 1).
7
6
potential differences

5
4
3
Series2
2
1
0
50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
current in milliampere
It’s
slope show vary from linear line because of its variance in current when we
apply different potential difference.
Graph of voltage current relationship for 50Ω resistance(table: 2)
 7

6
potential differences Title

3
Series2
2

0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
current in milliampere

It’s graph slope is linear line so its value is constant for different potential difference.

Resistor 1: 50 Ω Resistor

 Nominal Resistance: 50 Ω
 Measured Resistance for Each Trial: 50 Ω, 50 Ω, 50 Ω, 50 Ω, 50 Ω, 50 Ω

Analysis for 50 Ω Resistor:The measured resistance remained exactly 50 Ω in all six

trials, indicating that the resistor followed Ohm's Law perfectly.

Resistor 2: 13.7 Ω Resistor

 Nominal Resistance: 13.7 Ω

 Measured Resistance for Each Trial: 14.29 Ω, 15.38 Ω, 15.00 Ω, 14.81 Ω,
15.15 Ω, 15.00 Ω

For the 13.7 Ω resistor, the measured resistance values are consistently higher than
the nominal value.

Mesurement value fom six trail are:14.29 Ω,15.38 Ω,15.00 Ω ,14.81 Ω, 15.15 Ω
and 15.00 Ω

1. Sum of resistance=14.29+15.38+15.00+14.81+15.15+15.0=89.63
 2. Average Resistance=89.63 Ω/6=14.94

The average measured resistance is 14.94 Ω, which is 1.238 Ω higher than the
nominal resistance of 13.7 Ω.

Percent Deviation from Nominal Resistance: To assess how far the measured
values deviate from the nominal resistance of 13.7 Ω, we calculate the
percent deviation for each trial:

Percent Deviation=((Measured Value−Nominal Value)/Nominal Value)×100

The percent deviation for each trial is as follows:

o Trial 1: (14.29−13.7/13.7)×100=4.30%
o Trial 2: (15.38−13.713.7)×100=12.26%
o Trial 3: (15.00−13.713.7)×100=9.49%
o Trial 4: (14.81−13.713.7)×100=8.10%
o Trial 5: (15.15−13.713.7)×100=10.58%
o Trial 6: (15.00−13.713.7)×100=9.48%

Observation: The percent deviations range from 4.30% to 12.26%, with the
highest deviation occurring in Trial 2 (12.26%).

Possible Sources of Error

Measurement Errors,Temperature Effects, Non-Ohmic Behavior and

Contact Resistance

Results and Discussion:The 50 Ω resistor showed consistent resistance of 50 Ω

across all six trials, confirming that it behaves as an Ohmic resistor. This indicates
that the resistor’s behavior is stable and predictable, unaffected by the applied
current or voltage and for 13.7 Ω resistor exhibited resistance values ranging from
14.29 Ω to 15.38 Ω, with an average of 14.94 Ω, which is 1.23 Ω higher than the
nominal resistance. This deviation suggests potential to measurement errors,
temperature effects, or the resistor's non-Ohmic behavior.which caused its
 resistance to increase. Further investigation is needed to identify the exact cause
of the deviations.

Conclusion :We conclude that The 50 Ω resistor followed Ohm’s Law perfectly,
with consistent resistance across all trials, indicating it is an Ohmic resistor. The 13.7
Ω resistor, however, showed a deviation in resistance, averaging 15.03 Ω, likely due
to factors such as measurement errors, temperature effects, or non-Ohmic
behavior. Further analysis is required to determine the exact cause of these
deviations.

Question:
How does the current in a circuit relate to the voltage applied and the resistance of
the conductor?

Answer:
According to Ohm's Law, the current is directly proportional to the voltage and
inversely proportional to the resistance. This means that as the voltage increases,
the current also increases, provided the resistance remains constant. Conversely, if
the resistance increases, the current decreases for a given voltage. This relationship
is linear, meaning a graph of current versus voltage should yield a straight line.

Reference:phys lab 1011 manual Prepared by AAU physics departmen

Physics laboratory experiment manual by David H Loyd