McMaster University ENGTECH 1EL3 Lab Section L01
Introduction This experiment exists to broaden our knowledge on aspects of Ohm’s Law relating to the relationship between the currents and voltages of all components within a circuit. Mathematically expressed as V=IR, Ohm’s Law states that the current flowing through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points, given a constant resistance. This essentially describes the overall relationship among these three fundamental electrical properties voltage (V), current (I) and resistance (R), allowing the expression V=IR to be altered to find current (I) or resistance (R).
Through using the foundation of Ohm’s Law, the voltage divider rule formula can be confirmed as it is a simple and useful technique used to determine the voltage across a specific resistor in a series circuit. This formula states that:
Overall, this experiment is performed through connecting three resistors (R
1
= 1kΩ, R
2
= 300Ω,
R
3
= 200Ω) in series with a voltage source (9V). The effect of adding two voltage sources in series is
revealed to be a sum of these two voltages, with the consideration of their polarities.
