Ohm’s Law - How Voltage, Current, and Resistance Relate

Chapter 2 - Ohm's Law

The first, and perhaps most important, the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance is called Ohm’s Law,
discovered by Georg Simon Ohm and published in his 1827 paper, The Galvanic Circuit Investigated Mathematically.

Voltage, Current, and Resistance

An electric circuit is formed when a conductive path is created to allow electric charge to continuously move. This
continuous movement of electric charge through the conductors of a circuit is called a current, and it is often referred to in
terms of “flow,” just like the flow of a liquid through a hollow pipe.

The force motivating charge carriers to “flow” in a circuit is called voltage. Voltage is a specific measure of potential
energy that is always relative between two points. When we speak of a certain amount of voltage being present in a
circuit, we are referring to the measurement of how much potential energy exists to move charge carriers from one
particular point in that circuit to another particular point. Without reference to two particular points, the term “voltage”
has no meaning.

Current tends to move through the conductors with some degree of friction, or opposition to motion. This opposition to
motion is more properly called resistance. The amount of current in a circuit depends on the amount of voltage and the
amount of resistance in the circuit to oppose current flow. Just like voltage, resistance is a quantity relative between two
points. For this reason, the quantities of voltage and resistance are often stated as being “between” or “across” two points
in a circuit.

OHM'S LAW
1. Ohm's Law deals with the relationship between voltage and current in an ideal conductor. This relationship states that:

The potential difference (voltage) across an ideal conductor is proportional to the current through it.

The constant of proportionality is called the "resistance", R.

Ohm's Law is given by:

V=IR
where V is the potential difference between two points which include a resistance R. I is the current flowing through the
resistance. For biological work, it is often preferable to use the conductance, g = 1/R; In this form Ohm's Law is:
I=gV
2. Material that obeys Ohm's Law is called "ohmic" or "linear"  because the potential difference across it varies linearly
with the current.
3. Ohm's Law can be used to solve simple circuits. A complete circuit is one which is a closed loop. It contains at least
one source of voltage (thus providing an increase of potential energy), and at least one potential drop i.e., a place where
potential energy decreases. The sum of the voltages around a complete circuit is zero.

4. An increase of potential energy in a circuit causes a charge to move from a lower to a higher potential (ie. voltage).
Note the difference between potential energy and potential.

Because of the electrostatic force, which tries to move a positive charge from a higher to a lower potential, there must be
another 'force' to move charge from a lower potential to a higher inside the battery. This so-called force is called the
electromotive force, or emf. The SI unit for the emf is a volt (and thus this is not really a force, despite its name). We will
use a script E, the symbol , to represent the emf.

A decrease of potential energy can occur by various means. For example, heat lost in a circuit due to some electrical
resistance could be one source of energy drop.
Because energy is conserved, the potential difference across an emf must be equal to the potential difference across the
rest of the circuit. That is, Ohm's Law will be satisfied: 
  

=IR
5. Here is a nice simulated experiment on Ohm's Law for you to test your understanding of this concept. Use the "back"
button to return to this place.

Electrical Charge

Electricity is the movement of electrons. Electrons create charge, which we can harness to do work. Your lightbulb, your
stereo, your phone, etc., are all harnessing the movement of the electrons in order to do work. They all operate using the
same basic power source: the movement of electrons.

The three basic principles for this tutorial can be explained using electrons, or more specifically, the charge they create:

Voltage is the difference in charge between two points.

Current is the rate at which charge is flowing.
Resistance is a material's tendency to resist the flow of charge (current).
So, when we talk about these values, we're really describing the movement of charge, and thus, the behavior of electrons.
A circuit is a closed loop that allows charge to move from one place to another. Components in the circuit allow us to
control this charge and use it to do work.

Georg Ohm was a Bavarian scientist who studied electricity. Ohm starts by describing a unit of resistance that is defined
by current and voltage. So, let's start with voltage and go from there.

We define voltage as the amount of potential energy between two points on a circuit. One point has more charge than
another. This difference in charge between the two points is called voltage. It is measured in volts, which, technically, is
the potential energy difference between two points that will impart one joule of energy per coulomb of charge that passes
through it

In electrical terms, this is represented by two circuits with equal voltages and different resistances. The circuit with the
higher resistance will allow less charge to flow, meaning the circuit with higher resistance has less current flowing
through it.

This brings us back to Georg Ohm. Ohm defines the unit of resistance of "1 Ohm" as the resistance between two points in
a conductor where the application of 1 volt will push 1 ampere, or 6.241×10^18 electrons. This value is usually
represented in schematics with the greek letter "Ω", which is called omega, and pronounced "ohm".

What is an electrical circuit?

An electrical circuit is a path or line through which an electrical current flows. The path may be closed (joined at both
ends), making it a loop. A closed circuit makes electrical current flow possible. It may also be an open circuit where the
electron flow is cut short because the path is broken. An open circuit does not allow electrical current to flow.

Below is a basic set of symbols that you may find on circuit diagrams. 

It is very important to know the basic parts of a simple circuit and the symbols that relate to them. A simple circuit has
conductors, a switch, a load and a power source. Here are the functions of each part:

Conductors: 
These are usually copper wires with no insulation. They make the path through which the electricity flows. One piece of
the wire connects the current from the power source (cell) to the load. The other piece connects the load back to the power
source.
Switch: 
The switch is simply a small gap in the conductor where you can close or open the circuit. When the switch is closed, the
circuit is closed and electricity flows.

The Load: 
The load is a small light bulb or buzzer that lights when the circuit is turned on. The load is also known as a resistor.

Cell: 
The power source is a cell. (Note that more than one cell put together is known as a battery)

In a simple circuit, voltage flows through the conductive path to the resistor, which does some work. Resistors--things like
light bulbs, speakers, and motors--and electric circuits power these devices to do the work that their makers wanted them
to do.

Electricity only flows in circuits. In other words, it needs a complete loop in order for something to work. If you break
that loop with a switch, the power stops flowing, and your light (for example) will turn off. A simple circuit definition is a
closed loop of a conductor that electrons can travel around, usually consisting of a power source (a battery, for example)
and an electrical component or device (like a resistor or a light bulb) and conducting wire.

You’ll need to get to grips with some basic terminology to understand how circuits work, but you’ll be familiar with most
of the terms from day-to-day life.

A “voltage difference” is a term for the difference in electrical potential energy between two places, per unit charge.
Batteries work by creating a difference in potential between their two terminals, which allows a current to flow from one
to the other when they’re connected in a circuit. The potential at one point is technically the voltage, but differences in
voltage are the important thing in practice. A 5-volt battery has a potential difference of 5 volts between the two terminals,
and 1 volt = 1 joule per coulomb.

Connecting a conductor (such as a wire) to both terminals of a battery creates a circuit, with an electric current flowing
around it. The current is measured in amps, which means coulombs (of charge) per second.

Any conductor will have electrical “resistance,” which means the material’s opposition to the flow of current. Resistance
is measured in ohms (Ω), and a conductor with 1 ohm of resistance connected across a voltage of 1 volt would allow a
current of 1 amp to flow.

Voltage is what makes electric charges move. It is the 'push' that causes charges to move in a wire or other electrical
conductor. It can be thought of as the force that pushes the charges, but it is not a force. Voltage can cause charges to
move, and since moving charges is a current, voltage can cause a current.

Current is the flow of electrical charge carriers like electrons. Current flows from negative to positive points. The SI unit
for measuring electric current is the ampere (A). One ampere of current is defined as one coulomb of electrical charge
moving past a unique point in a second. Electric current is widely used in household and industrial appliances.

Current and voltage are two fundamental quantities in electricity. Voltage is the cause and current is the effect.