Ohms Law (Resistance)

The two fundamental properties of current and voltage are related by a third property known as
resistance. In any electrical circuit, when voltage is applied to it, a current will result. The
resistance of the conductor will determine the amount of current that flows under the given
voltage. In most cases, the greater the circuit resistance, the less the current. If the resistance is
reduced, then the current will increase. This relation is linear in nature and is known as Ohms
law.

Ohms law may be expressed as an equation, as follows:

Where ( I ) is current in amperes, (E) is the potential difference measured in volts, and (R) is the
resistance measured in ohms. If any two of these circuit quantities are known, the third may be
found by simple algebraic transposition. With this equation, we can calculate current in a circuit
if the voltage and resistance are known. This same formula can be used to calculate voltage. By
multiplying both sides of the equation 1 by R, we get an equivalent form of Ohms law, which is:

Finally, if we divide equation 2 by I, we will solve for resistance,

All three formulas presented in this section are equivalent to each other and are simply different
ways of expressing Ohms law.
The triangles containing E, R, and I are divided into two parts, with E above the line and I R
below it. To determine an unknown circuit quantity when the other two are known, cover the
unknown quantity with a thumb. The location of the remaining uncovered letters in the triangle
will indicate the mathematical operation to be performed. For example, to find I, refer to figure
and cover I with the thumb.
The uncovered letters indicate that E is to be divided by R, or I = ER. To find R, refer to figure
and cover R with the thumb. The result indicates that E is to be divided by I, or R = EI. To find E,
refer to figure, and cover E with the thumb. The result indicates I is to be multiplied by R, or
E = I R.

Power and Energy

Power in an Electrical Circuit
This section covers power in the DC circuit and energy consumption. Whether referring to
mechanical or electrical systems, power is defined as the rate of energy consumption or
conversion within that system that is, the amount of energy used or converted in a given
amount of time.
From the scientific discipline of physics, the fundamental expression for power is:

The unit measurement for power is the watt (W), which refers to a rate of energy conversion of 1
joule/second. Therefore, the number of joules consumed in 1 second is equal to the number of
watts. A simple example is given below.
(Suppose 300 J of energy is consumed in 10 seconds. What would be the power in watts?)

The watt is named for James Watt, the inventor of the steam engine. Watt devised an
experiment to measure the power of a horse in order to find a means of measuring the
mechanical power of his steam engine. One horsepower is required to move 33,000 pounds 1
foot in 1 minute. Since power is the rate of doing work, it is equivalent to the work divided by
time. Stated as a formula, this is:

Electrical power can be rated in a similar manner. For example, an electric motor rated as a 1
horsepower motor requires 746 watts of electrical energy.

Power Formulas Used in the Study of Electricity

When current flows through a resistive circuit, energy is dissipated in the form of heat. Recall
that voltage can be expressed in the terms of energy and charge as given in the expression:

Current I, can also be expressed in terms of charge and time as given by the expression:

For a simple DC electrical system, power dissipation can then be given by the equation:
General Power Formula
Where:

P = I (E)

P = Power
I = Current
E = Volts

(If a circuit has a known voltage of 24

power in the circuit will be):

volts and a current of 2 amps, then the

Now recall Ohms laws which states that E = I(R). If we now substitute IR for E in the general
formula, we get a formula that uses only current I and resistance R to determine the power in a
circuit.
P = I (IR)

Second Form of Power Equation

P = I2R

(If a circuit has a known current of 2 amps and a resistance of 100 , then the power in the
circuit will be)
P = I2R
P = (2A)2 100
P = 400 W
Using Ohms law again, which can be stated as I = ER, we can again make a substitution such
that power can be determined by knowing only the voltage (E) and resistance (R) of the circuit.

Third Form of Power Equation

(If a circuit has a known voltage of 24 volts and a resistance of 20 , then the power in the
circuit will be)