OHM’S LAW

At the end of this activity, you should be able to:

1. Define what Ohm’s Law is.
2. Understand the relationship of voltage, current and resistance to each other.
3. Classify the difference between Ohmic and Non-Ohmic conductor.

Ohm’s Law
In 1826 Georg Simon Ohm discovered that for metallic conductors there is
substantially constant ratio of the potential difference between the ends of the
conductor. Ohm's Law states that the current flowing in an electric circuit is directly
proportional to the applied voltage and inversely proportional to the resistance of the
material.

Ohm’s law can be represented by the following mathematical equation.

To find Voltage (V): V=I*R

V To find Current (I): I=V/R

To find Resistance (R): R= V/I

I R
Where in:

QUANTITY SYMBO UNIT UNIT

L MEASUREMENT SYMBOL

VOLTAGE V Volts V

CURRENT I Ampere A
(Amp(s))

RESISTANCE R Ohm(s) Ω
Ohm’s law is explained by the following statement:

Current varies directly with applied voltage

 A change in the voltage applied to a circuit will cause the current flowing in
the circuit to change. If the resistance is constant, the current change will
follow the pattern of the voltage change. Doubling the potential difference
doubles the current.

Current varies inversely with resistance

 Changing the resistance in a circuit will also cause a change in current flow.
if the voltage applied to a circuit is held constant, and the resistance in the
circuit is increased. With more opposition to current flow in the circuit, the
circuit current will decrease. On the other hand, if the resistance is
decreased the amount of current flow in the circuit will be increased.

Ohm's law shows a linear relationship between the voltage and the current in
an electrical circuit. Ohm's Law states that the current flowing in a circuit is directly
proportional to the applied potential difference and inversely proportional to the
resistance in the circuit. In other words, by doubling the voltage across a circuit the
current will also double. However, if the resistance is doubled the current will fall by
half.

OHMIC VS NON-OHMIC CONDUCTORS

Ohm’s law, discovered and named after Georg Ohm, states the relationship
between voltage, current and resistance of a conductor. This is important in
designing electrical and electronic circuits in order ensure that the voltages and
currents in the components stay within specs. Just about any component that is
capable of carrying a current is considered to be a conductor, it’s just a matter of
whether the conductor is Ohmic or not. The main difference between an Ohmic and
a non-Ohmic conductor is whether they follow Ohm’s law. An Ohmic conductor
would have a linear relationship between the current and the voltage. With Non-
Ohmic conductors, the relationship is not linear.
A good example of an Ohmic conductor is the resistor. The voltage drop across a
resistor is directly correlated to the current that is flowing through it. But this is only
true when the resistor is kept within the temperature range that it is rated for. As
more current flows through a resistor, it generates more and more heat. This heat,
when it becomes excessive, can cause the resistor to become non-Ohmic and the
resistance would also increase. Even ordinary wires are also considered as Ohmic
conductors. Ordinary wires still have resistance but are often designed to be
extremely low to minimize losses.
Non-Ohmic conductors do not follow Ohms law and have their own characteristics.
There are a number of examples of non-Ohmic conductors; including bulb filaments
and semiconductors like diodes and transistors. Let’s take the diode. A diode
provides a near constant voltage drop even if you vary the current, so it does not
follow Ohm’s law. The opposite happens in a light bulb filament; even as you
increase the voltage significantly, it only allows a certain amount of current to pass
through.
Even if non-Ohmic conductors do not follow Ohm’s law, they have their own
specialized uses that aid greatly in electrical and electronic circuits. Incandescent
light bulbs have been lighting our homes for more than a century and
semiconductors have made a lot of things possible. Almost all electronic gadgets like
phones, computers, even ordinary watches and remotes use semiconductors.
 ACTIVITY 1.1

Direction: Complete the table below using the Ohm’s Law.

VOLTAGE CURRENT RESISTANCE

(1) 7A 5Ω
9V (2) 10Ω
5V 3.25A (3)
12V (4) 3Ω
(5) 5A 4Ω

ACTIVITY 1.2

Direction: Solve the following to light the bulb.

 QUIZ

Direction: Solve the following problem.

1. What voltage required to force a current flow of 3A if the resistance is 50 Ohms?

2. An electric iron has a resistance of 150 Ohms. How much current will flow when
the voltage is 120V?

3. The electric pressure applied is 67.5V, and the resistance of the circuit is 1500
Ohms. Calculate the current through the circuit.

4. What resistance does a toaster have if the voltage is 100V and the current flow is
2.3A?

5. The reading on a voltmeter is 9.2V and the ammeter reading is 0.5A. What is the
resistance
HOW DOES OHM’S LAW RELATED TO ROBOTICS?

Ohm’s law is vitally important to describing electric circuits because it relates

the voltage to the current, with the resistance value moderating the relationship
between the two. Because of this, you can use Ohm’s law to control the amount of
current in a circuit, adding resistors to reduce the current flow and taking them away
to increase the amount of current. It can also be extended to describe electrical
power (the rate of energy flow per second), because power P = IV, and so you can
use it to ensure your circuit provides enough energy to, say, a 60-watt appliance.

For physics students, the most important thing about Ohm’s law is that it
allows you to analyze circuit diagrams, especially when you combine it with
Kirchhoff’s laws, which follow on from it. Kirchhoff’s voltage law states that the
voltage drop around any closed loop in a circuit is always equal to zero, and the
current law states that the amount of current flowing into a junction or node in a
circuit is equal to the amount flowing out of it. You can use Ohm’s law with the
voltage law in particular to calculate the voltage drop across any component of a
circuit, which is a common problem posed in electronics classes.

Robotics is the industry related to the engineering, construction and operation

of robots – a broad and diverse field related to many commercial industries and
consumer uses. The field of robotics generally involves looking at how any physical
constructed technology system can perform a task or play a role in any interface or
new technology. Robots have always been a captivating piece of technology,
programmable to move, make noise, light up, and follow instructions as directed.
There is nothing quite as fun and educational as building one’s own robot and setting
it through the paces of a race, an activity or a challenge.

In the school setting, robots encourage problem-solving, creative thinking, and

a healthy sense of competition that drives innovation from students. Programming
and other STEM concepts can seem very abstract, especially to younger students.
Reading about technology or robotics in a book is perhaps the traditional way to
learn, but putting that theory into practice by building or controlling a robot is hands-
on learning that sticks around for the future. It also takes teamwork to make a
robotics project run smoothly, and that’s a skill everyone needs. That doesn’t mean
that robotics is an easy part of STEM. In fact, this education technology can be a
challenge for some learners but a good challenge. As students improve with robotics
and programming, they learn determination, perseverance, and how to plan and
process with technology. These are all skills that will further their continuing
education, and their future career prospects. As another benefit, robotics is a
widespread education technology that could lead to more community and
educational opportunities. From robotics competitions to showcases for friends and
family, robotics drives community involvement, giving students something of which
they can be proud. 

Robotics are not only just for educational practices. It is also important to
industry. Recent developments in the robotics world has made robots more user
friendly, intelligent, and most importantly affordable. With these benefits of robotics, it
is no wonder that they have found jobs in every field. That is right, from industrial
manufacturing to the medical field robots are being used. The benefits of robots have
increased their flexibility with being capable of performing a variety of tasks and
applications.  They are more precise and consistent than human workers.  Robots
also allow for increased production and profit margin because they can complete
tasks faster. Robots have the ability to work around the clock since they do not
require vacations, sick days, or breaks.  They also make fewer mistakes than
humans, saving companies time.

Other benefits of robotics are that they can work in any environment, adding
to their flexibility.  Robots eliminate dangerous jobs for humans because they are
capable of working in hazardous environments.  They can handle lifting heavy loads,
toxic substances, and repetitive tasks. This has helped companies to prevent many
accidents, also saving time and money. In the medical field robots are used for
intricate surgeries such as prostate cancer surgery.  Robots are able to reach and fit
where human hands cannot, allowing greater accuracy.  Some robotic benefits in the
medical field are less invasive procedures and less pain for the patient when
recovering. The benefits of robots have opened the door for their use in many fields.
Their ability to be customized provides companies the flexibility to use them for a
variety of tasks.  

The connection of Ohm’s law in robotics is that the current flowing through
every wire are controlled by regulating the resistance through the regulator. In Ohm’s
law, we can also get the specific value of resistance, current and voltage needed by
the robots or devices. Some robots use metal coil in which it has high resistance that
permits a certain amount of current to flow through them to provide the required
heat. Also, the power to be supplied to the heaters is calculated using this law. The
resistors limit the amount of current to flow through them to provide the required
amount of heat. The size of resistors used in them is determined by using Ohm’s
law. The electronic devices such as laptop and mobile phones require a DC power
supply with the specific current. Many devices need a certain amount of current and
voltage to operate. Ohms law tells us the amount of resistance we need to establish
a certain current with a certain amount of voltage. We can’t use any electrical
devices if we don’t have electricity. Electricity needs voltage to measure the potential
difference between the two charges. These charges need current to flow in a circuit
and resistance to resists current flow. The importance of Ohm’s law is shown
anywhere and at anything. It means that is useful in our every life specially in our
home, factories, building and also in robotics.