Download AP 1: Ohm`s Law Lab (Studet) v1.0 20140810

Ohm’s Law Lab
PSI Physics AP 1 – Electric Current
All answers and data must follow the PSI Lab Report Format.
Objective
Construct the circuit shown below. For several settings of the potentiometer, measure the
current and the voltage. Use your collected data to verify the relationship between current and
voltage (Ohm’s Law).
Materials
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Spool of wire (resistor of unknown resistance)
Knife switch
Potentiometer (a three-terminal resistor with a sliding or
rotating contact used to control voltage in a circuit)
Connecting wire terminated with alligator clips
Voltage supply (9V battery, or D or AA cells in a holder
to provide 3V or 6V)
Ammeter and Voltmeter -or- 2 Multimeters (one run as
ammeter and the other as voltmeter)
○ Remember: voltmeters are connected in parallel
with the section of circuit (resistor) being tested
and ammeters are connected in series in the
branch of the circuit being tested.
A complete lab report must include:
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The materials you used, and how you assembled them
Data (V and I ) collected in tabular form
A graph of V vs I
The obtained value of the resistance of the wire spool
A conclusion discussing:
❏ summarizing your results
❏ analysing any discrepancies between Ohm’s Law and your measurements
❏ proposing improvements to the experiment and / or further experiments you
might like to perform
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AP Physics 1
Electric Current