What Are I-V Characteristics in Electrical Components?

[Matt.D]

I've been given a Physics Assignment for my half term holiday, but I'm a little stuck with the following question. The topic is Electricity.


Question 2.

a) Draw the I - V characteristics for two components, A and B, both of which obey Ohm's Law. Component B has a lower resistance than component A. Lable your Characteristics as A and B.

b) Draw the I-V characteristics for a silicon semiconductor diode giving and relevant voltage values.

I don't know what it means by I - V characteristics. The components must obey Ohm's Law. Could someone elaborate on what I need to do.

Thanks

 

[xanthym]

I've been given a Physics Assignment for my half term holiday, but I'm a little stuck with the following question. The topic is Electricity.


Question 2.

a) Draw the I - V characteristics for two components, A and B, both of which obey Ohm's Law. Component B has a lower resistance than component A. Lable your Characteristics as A and B.

b) Draw the I-V characteristics for a silicon semiconductor diode giving and relevant voltage values.

I don't know what it means by I - V characteristics. The components must obey Ohm's Law. Could someone elaborate on what I need to do.

Thanks

A device's "I-V Characteristics" indicate the relationship between the Voltage "V" across the device's terminals and the resulting Current "I" through the device. Each electronic device (resistor, diode, etc) has its own specific "I-V Characteristics".

For a Resistor, Ohm's Law provides the "I-V Characteristics". We have the familiar { V=I*R } equation, in which "R" is the resistance value, which can be solved for I:

:(1): \ \ \ \ I = \frac {V} {R} :::::<---- "I-V Characteristics" for Resistor with Resistance "R"

Graphing "I-V Characteristics":
To graph "I-V Characteristics", designate the Vertical Axis to be "I" for the Current and designate the Horizontal Axis to be "V" for the Voltage. (It's standard technique to graph "I-V Characteristics" with "I" the dependent variable (i.e., Vertical Axis) and "V" the independent variable (i.e., Horizontal Axis) ). The relationship or formula would then be graphed the same way you'd graph an equation with variables "y" and "x".

From Equation #1 above, what would you expect the graph to look like, where you would graph it for a CONSTANT value of Resistance "R" (for instance, R=50 ohms)?
(Hint: A line in standard "x" and "y" equations is { y = m*x + b } )

For a Diode device, the "I-V Characteristics" are considerably more complex. You'll need to consult your textbook for the relationship between "I" and "V" for a Diode. In particular, a given Diode has a different relationship between "I" and "V" for different voltage ranges, and thus its graph will NOT just be a single straight line. The Diode, for instance, will behave differently with a Positive Voltage across it ("Forward Conduction Range") than with a Negative Voltage across it ("Reverse Blocking Range"). For the latter, there is also usually a "Breakdown Voltage" which will produce yet another different region on your graph. Again, consult your textbook for this information, or try the Web URL below.
http://www.antonine-education.co.uk/Electronics_AS/Electronics_Module_1/Topic_4/Topic_4__diodes.htm


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[wais]

Sure, I-V characteristics, also known as current-voltage characteristics, are graphs that show the relationship between the current (I) and voltage (V) for a particular component or device. In other words, it shows how the current changes as the voltage is varied.

In order to answer question 2, you will need to plot the I-V characteristics for two components, A and B, as well as a silicon semiconductor diode. These components must follow Ohm's Law, which states that the current through a conductor is directly proportional to the voltage across it, as long as the temperature and other external factors remain constant.

To draw the I-V characteristics, you will need to label the x-axis as voltage (V) and the y-axis as current (I). For component A and B, since they both obey Ohm's Law, their I-V characteristics will be straight lines passing through the origin (0,0). However, component B will have a steeper slope compared to component A, indicating that it has a lower resistance.

For the silicon semiconductor diode, the I-V characteristics will not be a straight line. Instead, it will have a non-linear curve, as the current will only flow in one direction (from positive to negative) and the voltage must reach a certain threshold before the current starts to flow. The relevant voltage values will depend on the specific characteristics of the diode and can be found in its datasheet.

I hope this helps clarify what is meant by I-V characteristics and how to draw them for the given components. Remember to label your graphs as A and B for the first part and as diode for the second part. Good luck with your assignment!