Electric Current and Ohm`s Law
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Transcript Electric Current and Ohm`s Law
Electric Current and Ohm’s Law
Electric Current
• Electric current is the continuous flow of
electric charge
• Two types of current are direct and alternating
• Direct current (DC) is when the charge flows in
one direction
• Alternating current (AC) is when the flow of
electric charge regularly reverses direction
Electric Current
• An example of a direct current is a
flashlight and most battery-operated
devices
• Alternating current is in your home and
school
• Current is defined as the direction in
which the positive charges would flow
Conductors and Insulators
• An electrical conductor is a
material through which charge
can flow easily
• Metals such as copper, and
silver are good electrical
conductors
• An electrical insulator is a
material through which charge
cannot flow easily
• Wood, plastic, rubber and air
are good electrical insulators
Resistance
• Resistance is the opposition to the flow of
charges in a material
• The SI unit of resistance is the ohm
• A material’s thickness, length and temperature
affect its resistance
• Resistance is more in a longer wire
• As temperature increases the resistance
increases since the electrons collide more
often
Resistance
A superconductor is a material that has almost zero resistance
when it is cooled to low temperatures
Superconductors are trying to reduce the resistance to zero
The best superconductor has been cooled to 138K
Voltage
• In order for a charge to flow in a conducting
wire, the wire must be connected in a
complete loop that includes a source of
electrical energy
• A flashlight will not work if there is no battery
Potential Difference
Reminder potential energy is related to position
Charges flow from a high to low potential energy
Potential difference is the difference in electrical
potential energy between two places in an electric field
Potential Difference
• Potential difference is measured in joules per
coulomb or volts
• Potential difference is also called voltage
Voltage Sources
• Three common voltage sources
are batteries, solar cells and
generators
• A battery is a device that converts
chemical energy to electrical
energy
• In a 9-volt battery the voltage
drop is about 9 volts
Ohm’s Law
Named after German scientist Georg Ohm
Ohm is the unit of resistance
Ohm’s Law
V = I x R or I = V/R
Voltage (V) = current(I) x resistance (R)
When the current is in amperes and the resistance is in
ohms the voltage is in volts
Ohm’s Law
What is the voltage if the resistance is 3 ohms and the
current is 3 amps?
V=IxR=
3 amps x 3 ohms = 9 volts
Increasing the voltage increases the current
Having the same voltage and increasing the resistance
will decrease the current
Multimeters measure current, voltage and resistance