T.A.
MARRYSHOW COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF ARTS, SCIENCES AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS
YEAR 2 PHYSICS
EXPERIMENT # 1
TITLE: Ohm’s law
AIM: To determine experimentally the value of two fixed resistors
APPARATUS/ MATERIALS: power supply, voltmeter, millimeter, 2 resistors, connecting wires,
switch.
DIAGRAM:
Power Supply
Switch
A Ammeter
Resistor (R1, R2)
Voltmeter
PROCEDURE:
1. Set up your circuit as shown in the diagram above, with a single resistor- R1. Turn on the power
supply
2. Close the switch and record voltmeter and ammeter readings when the supply is at 2V
3. Vary the supply voltage in the range 0V-12V to obtain five further ammeter and voltmeter readings
for the single resistor- R1. Record these readings in the table
4. Repeat steps 1-3 using a second resistor- R2 in parallel with resistor- R1. Record all reading in the
table.
5. Repeat steps 1-3 using a second resistor- R2 in series with resistor- R1. Record all reading in the
table.
QUESTIONS:
1. Plot a graph of Current/ I against Voltage/ V for the single resistor, the resistors in parallel and
the resistors in series.
2.
a. Using your graph calculate the resistance of the resistor in each case.
b. Using the set value of the resistors, Calculate the actual resistance of the resistors in Parallel and
Series.
c. Using your experimental value along with your actual value of the resistance of the resistor,
Calculate the absolute and percentage error in the experiment value obtained
RESULTS:
Power Single Resistor 2 Resistors in Parallel 2 Resistors in Series
Supply Voltage/ V Current/ I Voltage/ V Current/ I Voltage/ V Current/ I
END OF PRACTICAL
