AP Physics 1

Ian Stroszeck

Lab 20 Report: Ohms Law

4.10.2016

Abstract:
From this lab, we concluded that resistors do follow Ohms Law, while lightbulbs
do not. This is most likely because incandescent lightbulbs output a great amount of
heat compared to the amount of light produced. This causes the resistance of the
filament inside the lightbulb to change as more and more current goes through it since
the temperature also increases. This results in a change in slope on the graph for voltage
vs. current, since the resistance changed overtime. We also concluded that the slope of
the graph for those that did obey Ohms Law was equal to the resistance. A more in
depth explanation is detailed below.
Theory:
Ohms Law consists of three different variables to produce the following equation:
V =IR . V stands for voltage which is the potential difference between how well a
positive change is able to stand a particular location in the given circuit. I stands for
current, which is the rate of charge flow. It can also be written as

I=

q
t . Finally, R

stands for resistance which is a measure of how difficult it is for a current to pass
through a given part of the circuit. Resistance can be found by the slope of the graphs
below (In which it has been determined to obey Ohms Law) because Ohms Law can be
easily modeled in a linear format for which the voltage is the Y-variable, current is the
X-variable, leaving the resistance left over to be equal to the slope of the line.
Experimental:
For this lab, we created a simple circuit using different types of resistors as well
as an ammeter and voltmeter for the purpose of determining if certain devices obey
Ohms Law. During our three trials with three different resistors, we measured the
amount of current going through the circuit and the voltage going across it. For each of
the three trials, the setup pictured below in circuit diagram form was used. The only
thing that was varied in the system was the resistor type.

For part one, a standard 25 resistor was used. First, a voltage was set on the
battery itself, and then was verified by an externally attached voltmeter. At the same
time, an ammeter measured the current going through the system. After collecting about
eight samples, the following table was produced.
Current (Amps)

Volt (Volts)

0.18
0.16
0.08
0.22
0.24
0.02
0.26
0.3

4.2
2.9
1.4
5.1
5.8
0.4
6.3
7.2

From that data, a graph showing the relationship between voltage and current was
created.

25 Ohm Resistor @ Voltage vs. Current

8
f(x) = 23.3x

Voltage (V) 4
2
0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

Current (Amps)

0.3

0.35

From this relationship, it can be determined that as Current increases, voltage also
increases at a directly proportional rate. This example seems to coincide with Ohms
Law, which states that V =IR or, that voltage is directly proportional to current and
resistance. The slope, therefore, must be equal to the resistance of the resistor since
Ohms Law can be easily modeled in a linear format for which the voltage is the Yvariable, current is the X-variable, leaving the resistance left over to be equal to the
slope of the line.

For part two, a wooden stick with wire wrapped around it was used. The same procedure
of measuring the voltage and current were used as in the previous section. From our
experimentation in part two, the following data was collected.
Current (Amps)

Volts (Volts)

0.04
0.16
0.22
0.28
0.32
0.4
0.46
0.74
0.54

0.5
1.9
2.7
3.3
3.8
5.1
5.6
9.1
6.7

From this data, the following graph was produced to show the relationship between the
voltage and the current as was done in part one.

Wood Stick w/ Wire @ Voltage vs. Current

10
f(x) = 12.29x

8
6

Voltage (V)

4
2
0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

Current (Amps)

0.6

0.7

0.8

From this graph, it can also be concluded that there is a direct relationship between the
current and voltage. This once again coincides with Ohms law which states that, among
other things, voltage is directly proportional to current. The slope, therefore, must be
equal to the resistance of the resistor since Ohms Law can be easily modeled in a linear
format for which the voltage is the Y-variable, current is the X-variable, leaving the
resistance left over to be equal to the slope of the line.

For part three, the setup was again, exactly the same, only instead of a wooden stick
used as a resistor, a lightbulb was put in its place. The same procedure of measuring the
voltage and current were used as in the previous section. From our experimentation in
part three, the following data was collected.
Current (Amps)
0.24
0.32
0.36
0.42
0.46
0.52
0.38
0.52

Volts (Volts)
0.7
1.6
2.2
3.2
3.4
4.4
2.4
4.8

From this data table, the following graph was produced to show the relationship
between the voltage and the current as was done in parts one and two.

Lightbulb @ Voltage vs. Current

6
5
4

f(x) = 18.95x^2 - 0.96x

Voltage (V) 3
2
1
0
0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

0.45

0.5

0.55

Current (Amps)

This time, as was not the case in the previous two, the relationship between current and
voltage does not seem to be direct. Thus, it cannot be following Ohms Law. This may be
due to the fact that we were using incandescent lightbulbs which output a great amount

of heat. This may have caused the resistance of the filament inside the lightbulb to
change as more and more current went through it, resulting in a change in slope, since
the resistance changed.

Discussion:
A) For the 25 resistor, the resistance was equal from the slope of our graph to
be about 23 ohms; which makes sense given the fact that the resistance in the
wire was not accounted for and the graph had a constant slope, meaning that it
obeyed Ohms Law. For the wire wrapped around the wooden stick, the slope of
the graph was equal to about 12.3 ohms. This, again makes sense since we have
concluded from earlier that the slope of the line is equal to the resistance. The
lightbulb on the other hand does not seem to have obeyed Ohms Law, as the
graph produced was not linear as expected, but rather resembled more of a power
function.
B) The reason the lightbulb does not follow Ohms law is most likely due to the fact
that we were using incandescent lightbulbs which output a great amount of heat
compared to the amount of light produced. This may have caused the resistance
of the filament inside the lightbulb to increase as more and more current went
through it since the temperature also increased. This resulted in a change in slope
on the graph, since the resistance increased.
C) We would have a very difficult time acquiring data because the slight amount of
electricity that could have been conducted by the plastic is both too low for most
detectors to pick up, and so small that whatever did show up on the detector
would be too difficult to determine for certain that the current was not simply an
anomaly or from some other kind of outside interference on the system.