What is Ohms law: Definition and 56 Discussions

Ohm's law states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points. Introducing the constant of proportionality, the resistance, one arrives at the usual mathematical equation that describes this relationship:




I
=


V
R


,


{\displaystyle I={\frac {V}{R}},}
where I is the current through the conductor in units of amperes, V is the voltage measured across the conductor in units of volts, and R is the resistance of the conductor in units of ohms. More specifically, Ohm's law states that the R in this relation is constant, independent of the current. If the resistance is not constant, the previous equation cannot be called Ohm's law, but it can still be used as a definition of static/DC resistance. Ohm's law is an empirical relation which accurately describes the conductivity of the vast majority of electrically conductive materials over many orders of magnitude of current. However some materials do not obey Ohm's law, these are called non-ohmic.
The law was named after the German physicist Georg Ohm, who, in a treatise published in 1827, described measurements of applied voltage and current through simple electrical circuits containing various lengths of wire. Ohm explained his experimental results by a slightly more complex equation than the modern form above (see § History below).
In physics, the term Ohm's law is also used to refer to various generalizations of the law; for example the vector form of the law used in electromagnetics and material science:





J

=
σ

E

,


{\displaystyle \mathbf {J} =\sigma \mathbf {E} ,}
where J is the current density at a given location in a resistive material, E is the electric field at that location, and σ (sigma) is a material-dependent parameter called the conductivity. This reformulation of Ohm's law is due to Gustav Kirchhoff.

View More On Wikipedia.org
  1. N

    Understanding Resistance in Ohm's Law: Graph Analysis & Explanation

    Homework Statement Graph of current vs voltage. What is happening to the resistance after the linear portion of the graph and why. Homework Equations none The Attempt at a Solution the line is the resistance and it follows ohms law for a while (it is constant and independent...
  2. S

    Unraveling the Mystery of Ohms Law: Answers to Your Burning Questions

    After seeing contradictory posts on many forums , and getting differing opinions from my teachers , I'm completely lost with the ohms law... I have a number of questions. Can someone please answer them for me? 1) Do semiconductors obey Ohms law? and why do they obey/not obey? if they obey...
  3. S

    Solve Ohms Law: Resistance & Resistivity, 30W 6A Bulb

    Homework Statement Define resistance and resistivity? A 30W, 6A bulb has a filiment which is directly prortional to the absolute temperature? At 37 degrees celcius the reisitance of the fimament is 015ohms. What is the working temperature of the filament? Homework Equations None...
  4. M

    Calculate Equivalent Resistance & Current Thru R1: Ohm's Law Problem

    Homework Statement Calculate the equivalent resistance of the network shown in the diagram. The resistances are: R1 = 12 ohm, R2 = 5 ohm, R3 = 15 ohm, and R4 = 15 ohm. no prob here Req = [(1/12)+(1/5)+(1/15)]^-1 + 15 = 17.86ohm When a battery with E = 6 V and zero internal...
  5. O

    Iron core energy change and transformers vs. ohms law

    "Iron core energy change" and "transformers vs. ohms law" Ooh yes, I do have two question. So enjoy the meal all physics lovers! :smile: 1. If the field is increased putting an iron core inside the circuit, then what about energy conservation? (I don't know much about H-fields.) 2...
  6. N

    Potential difference and ohms law

    A 3Ohm and a 1.5 ohm resistor are wired in paralles and the combination is wired in series to a 4 ohm resistor and a 10 V emf device. The potential difference on across the 3 ohm resistor is? I reduced the 2 in parrallel to 1.875 ohms and then addes the 4 ohm, which gave me a total...
Back
Top