PD and resistance

Title: PD and resistance DO NOW

Describe what’s happening in this circuit in as

much detail as you can.
Extension- how could you work out the current
flowing through this circuit?
 Aiming for a 4
I can state that resistance
restricts the size of a
current in a circuit.
I can state Ohm’s law and
describe its conditions.
RP4.3 I can measure the
current and potential
difference in a circuit to
determined the resistance.
Aiming for a 6 Aiming for a 8
I can calculate the potential I can describe potential
difference. difference in terms of work
done per unit charge.
I can calculate the I can rearrange equations
resistance of a component. for resistance and potential
difference.
RP4.3 I can measure the RP4.3 I can investigate a
effect of changing the variety of factors that may
length of a wire on its affect the resistance of a
resistance in a controlled metal wire, such as the
experiment. current through it, length,
cross-sectional area, and
metal used.
 Let’s look at this circuit- what’s
happening in it?
Electrons return Cell
to the cell provides a
push

Charge is Electrons
given to the carry charge
bulb around circuit
 How circuits work
When a bulb is The electrons
connected to a deliver energy to the
cell, electrons bulb as they pass
move around the through it and
circuit and take a return to the cell to
fixed amount of collect more energy
energy from the
cell
 What if we want to measure the
current?

Ammeters measure the current

in a circuit.

The current is the flow of

electrons in a circuit.

Ammeters basically count the

number of electrons passing
through it, therefore it needs to
be placed in series
What is potential difference (or voltage?
Cells/ batteries have a positive and a negative
terminal. This causes a difference in the
circuit.

Electrons are negative so will be attracted

towards the positive, causing a current to
flow.

The bigger the difference between the

positive and negative terminal the stronger
the PD/ voltage, the more energy there is in
the circuit
 Looking a bit closer at voltmeters
Voltmeters measure the voltage in a
circuit.

The voltage is the difference in

electrical charge between two
points.

Voltmeters see the difference in

energy per unit charge (energy of
the electrons) from one side of
something to another, therefore it
needs to be placed in parallel
 Calculating potential difference.

Energy transferred E
(Joules, J)
Potential difference
V (volts, v) = ÷
Charge, Q
(coulombs, C)
 V(v) = E (J)
Calculations ÷
Q(c)

1. The energy transferred to a bulb is 320J when 64C of

charge passes through it. What is the potential
difference?

2. The energy transferred to a motor is 4000J when

120C of charge passes through it. What is the
potential difference?

3. The energy transferred to a TV is 1500J when 6.5C of

charge passes through it. What is the potential
difference?
 Calculations V(v) = E (J) ÷Q(c)

1. The energy transferred to a bulb is 320J when 64C of

charge passes through it. What is the potential
difference?
320 ÷ 64 = 5V
2. The energy transferred to a motor is 4000J when
120C of charge passes through it. What is the
potential difference? 4000 ÷ 120 = 33.3V

3. The energy transferred to a TV is 1500J when 6.5C of

charge passes through it. What is the potential
difference? 1500 ÷ 6.5 = 230V
 Annnnd……back to the circuit again
Electrons Cell causes PD
return to the in circuit,
cell electrons move
But there’s
more to it
than that
Charge is Electrons carry
given to the charge around
bulb circuit
 Resistance

Electrons passing through a circuit have to

push past lots of vibrating atoms in the wire.

This slows the current down, or resists it.

If we can measure how much the current has

changed, and know how much push the
electrons have we can see how much
resistance has been made.
Calculating resistance- Ohms Law.

Potential difference
Resistance V (Volts, V)
R (Ohms, Ω) = ÷
Current, I
(Amps, A)

The current through a resistor at constant

temperature is directly proportional to the
potential difference across the resistor.
Required Practical- Measuring the resistance
of a wire
Copy results into your book and calculate the
resistance
Potential
Length of wire Current in wire I Resistance of
difference (p.d.)
(cm) (A) wire (Ω)
across wire (V)

10 1.15 0.86
20 1.25 0.56
30 1.30 0.40
40 1.35 0.31
50 1.38 0.26

Plot a graph of length of wire R(Ω) = pd (v) ÷ I(A)

(x axis) and resistance (y axis)
The resistance of a wire at constant temperature
is directly proportional to its length.
 Aiming for a 4
I can state that resistance
restricts the size of a
current in a circuit.
I can state Ohm’s law and
describe its conditions.
I can measure the current
and potential difference in
a circuit to determined the
resistance.
Aiming for a 6
I can calculate the potential I can describe potential
difference.
I can calculate the
resistance of a component.
I can measure the effect of
changing the length of a
wire on its resistance in a
controlled experiment.
Aiming for a 8
difference in terms of work
done per unit charge.
I can rearrange equations
for resistance and potential
difference.
I can investigate a variety
of factors that may affect
the resistance of a metal
wire, such as the current
through it, length, cross-
sectional area, and metal
used.