Related Concept Videos
Ohm's Law
Many materials exhibit a simple relationship between the values of current, voltage, and resistance, known as Ohm’s law. The current that flows through most substances is directly proportional to the voltage applied to them. The German physicist Georg Simon Ohm (1787–1854) was the first to demonstrate experimentally that the current in a metal wire is directly proportional to the voltage applied. Any material, component, or device that obeys Ohm’s law, where the current through the device is...
Ohm's Law
Resistors are fundamental components in electrical circuits, often manufactured from metallic alloys or carbon compounds. They model a material's ability to resist the flow of electric current, a characteristic that is crucial in controlling and regulating electrical power within a circuit.
This current-resisting behavior of resistors is governed by Ohm's law, which states that the voltage across a resistor is directly proportional to the current flowing through it.
This current-resisting behavior of resistors is governed by Ohm's law, which states that the voltage across a resistor is directly proportional to the current flowing through it.
Non-ohmic Devices
In most substances, the current flow is proportional to the voltage applied to it. A simple relationship between the values of current, voltage, and resistance is known as Ohm's law. Nonohmic devices do not exhibit a linear relationship between voltage and current. One such device is the semiconducting circuit element known as a diode. A diode is a circuit device that allows current flow in only one direction.
Consider a simple circuit consisting of a battery, a diode, and a resistor. A diode...
Consider a simple circuit consisting of a battery, a diode, and a resistor. A diode...
Impedance Combination
Consider a string of christmas lights, each bulb symbolizing an impedance element. In this series configuration, the flow of electric current remains uniform across every component. This behavior aligns with Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL), which asserts that the total impedance in such a setup equals the sum of individual impedances—akin to resistors in series. It follows that the voltage from the power source is distributed proportionally among these components, adhering to the voltage division...
Electrical Conductivity
In perfect conductors, the electric field inside is always zero due to the abundance of free electrons, which nullify any field by flowing. As a result, any residual charge resides on the surface.
In a practical conductor, an applied electric field may be sustained, causing a flow of electrons, which produce a current. The differential form of the current, the current density, is related to the electric field.
More generally, it is related to the force per unit charge, which involves the...
In a practical conductor, an applied electric field may be sustained, causing a flow of electrons, which produce a current. The differential form of the current, the current density, is related to the electric field.
More generally, it is related to the force per unit charge, which involves the...
Voltage Dividers
In electrical circuits, resistors can be connected in series, sequentially linked one after the other. In a series configuration, the same current flows through each resistor. Ohm's law is a fundamental principle to understand the behavior of resistors in series. It expresses the voltage across these resistors in terms of the current and resistance.
Kirchhoff's voltage law implies that the sum of the voltages across the resistors in series equals the source voltage. This means that the current...
Kirchhoff's voltage law implies that the sum of the voltages across the resistors in series equals the source voltage. This means that the current...


