Current, voltage & resistance

Current

• Current (I) is a flow of electric charge and is

measured in amperes, often shortened to
amps (A).

• Basically, it is how many charges are

flowing across a surface.

• When you measure current, you are

measuring how many charges are passing
a second.
 Q=Ixt
Charge = Current x Time

(C) (A) (s)

Memory aid: QuIt

Voltage

• Voltage (V) is a measure of electric energy

and is measured in volts (V).

• Basically, it is how much energy is given to

the charges in a circuit.

• When you measure voltage, you are

measuring the difference in energy
between two points.
• It is also called potential difference or p.d.
• An equation we can use for voltage is:
• An equation we can use for voltage is:

Energy transferred = Charge x Voltage

• An equation we can use for voltage is:

Energy transferred = Charge x Voltage

E = Q x V
• An equation we can use for voltage is:

Energy transferred = Charge x Voltage

E = Q x V
(J) (C) (V)
Resistance
Resistance

• Resistance (R) is a measure of how hard it

is for a charge to move through a material
and is measured in ohms (Ω).

• Basically, it is the difficulty for a charge to

flow.

• When you measure resistance, you are

measuring the ratio of voltage to current.
 Ohm’s Law
voltage = current x resistance

V=I×R V
(V) = (A) x (Ω)
I R
Memory aid: VIRtual