SEPTEMBER 2010

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS

FAP0025: PHYSICS II
DISCOVERY LEARNING

EXPERIMENT 1: OHM’S LAW

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of this experiment, students should be able to:

• Use Ohm’s law to determine the magnitudes of current and magnitudes of voltages in a
circuit containing network of resistors arranged in parallel and series.
• Use the measured value of a wire’s resistance to determine its radius.

THEORY

• Ohm’s Law state that current through a circuit is proportional to the applied voltage. This is
symbolically written as:

V=IR
V= Voltage, R= Resistance, I= Current

A plot I vs V should give a straight line passing through the origin, as shown in Figure 1.
1
The slope of the line is .
R
I (A)

V (V)

Figure 1: I-V Characteristic curve for a typical Ohmic material

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 SEPTEMBER 2010

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS

FAP0025: PHYSICS II
DISCOVERY LEARNING

• Resistors are used to provide resistance, R.

• Resistors can be combined in two ways in simple electrical circuits, in series or in

parallel, as shown in figure 2 and figure 3.
V
V
- + _ +

R1
R1 R2 R3

Figure 2: Series Connection

R2

R3

PART A Figure 3: Parallel Connection

• The resistance of a wire can be determined theoretically by using the following design
equation:

L
R=ρ
A

R = Resistance (Ω) L = Length of Wire (m)

pcopper = 1.72x10 −8
Ωm A = Cross-sectional area (m2)

Use an appropriate method to determine the value of resistivity, pcopper and compare the
measured value(s) with the standard given value. Explain, if there are any differences.

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 SEPTEMBER 2010

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS

FAP0025: PHYSICS II
DISCOVERY LEARNING

PART B

Network of resistors in parallel and series arrangement.

APPARATUS:

• Breadboard
• AC/DC Electronics Lab Board: Wire Leads
• Analog Multimeters
• Resistors
• 1.5V Battery

PROCEDURE:

i. Setup the circuit on the breadboard as shown in Figure 4.0.

ii. Check every point (as shown in Figure 4.0) with analog multimeter. You can
determine the volume of the resistors by using the multimeter.
iii. Record the results in table 1.
1.5 V

_ +

R2

V2

R3
R1
V3
V1
R4

V4

Figure 4

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 SEPTEMBER 2010

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS

FAP0025: PHYSICS II
DISCOVERY LEARNING

DATA RECORDING:

Experimental Value:

Resistance (Ω) Voltage (v) Current (A)

R1 = V1 = I1 =
R2 = V2 = I2 =
R3 = V3 = I3 =
R4 = V4 = I4 =
Table 1.0

Theoretical Value:

Resistance (Ω) Voltage (v) Current (A)

R1 = V1 = I1 =
R2 = V2 = I2 =
R3 = V3 = I3 =
R4 = V4 = I4 =
Table 2.0

TheoreticalValue − ExperimentalValue
% of Error = x100%
TheoreticalValue

By using your outcomes from this experiment, prove the following equations:

n
Re q = ∑ Ri
n =1

−1
⎛ n 1 ⎞
Re q = ⎜ ∑ ⎟
⎝ i =1 Ri ⎠

Page 4 of 6
 SEPTEMBER 2010

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS

FAP0025: PHYSICS II
DISCOVERY LEARNING

PART C

To determine the radius of wire used to provide resistance.

APPARATUS:

• PASCO SW 750 Interface

• Voltage Sensor
• Power Amplifier II ( CI-6552A)
• Coil winding (wdg)
• Patch Cords

PROCEDURE:

i. Setup the circuit as shown in figure below;

Figure 5

ii. Use the PASCO Scientific to capture the data on graph. From the graph, determine the
value of R and hence determine the radius of the wire. You will be given the value of
resistivity. (given: ρ = 1.72 x10 −8 Ωm , L= nπd , A= πr 2 )

L
R=ρ
A

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 SEPTEMBER 2010

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS

FAP0025: PHYSICS II
DISCOVERY LEARNING

PART D

• Solve the following network of resistors, to determine Req both by using multimeter and
theoretical calculation.

1.5V Battery
- +

R1

R1
R3 R2

R1 R2
R3

R4

Figure 6 R4

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