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Virtual Labs / Ohm's Law

Physics · Electricity

Ohm's Law

Investigate the relationship between voltage, resistance and current. Change the circuit values and observe how the current responds.

Interactive circuit

Adjust the voltage and resistance using the controls.

Ideal DC circuit containing a voltage source, resistor, ammeter and connecting wires.

Experiment controls

Change one variable and observe the effect on current.

6 V
1 V 12 V
10 Ω
1 Ω 30 Ω
Current level 0.60 A

Adjust the controls to begin experimenting.

Voltage 6.00 V
Resistance 10.00 Ω
Current 0.60 A
Power 3.60 W

Ohm's Law

V = IR

Voltage = Current × Resistance

Current can therefore be calculated using I = V/R. For this ideal experiment, resistance is treated as constant while voltage is changed.

Voltage–current relationship

The graph shows the observations recorded during the experiment. For a constant resistance, voltage and current have a linear relationship.

Experiment procedure

  1. Set the resistance to a fixed value.
  2. Change the voltage gradually.
  3. Observe the corresponding current.
  4. Record several observations.
  5. Compare the voltage and current values.
  6. Observe the approximately straight-line relationship.

Observation table

Record the current experiment settings and compare different voltage values.

# Voltage Resistance Current Power
No observations recorded yet.

You can record up to 20 observations.

Model limitations: This simulation assumes an ideal resistor and ideal voltage source. Real circuits can include internal resistance, heating effects, measurement uncertainty and components that do not obey Ohm's Law over all operating conditions.