Question

How can you use the formula V=IR to predict the current in a circuit

Answer 1

There are certain formulas in Physics that are so powerful and so pervasive that they reach the state of popular knowledge. A student of Physics has written such formulas down so many times that they have memorized it without trying to. Certainly to the professionals in the field, such formulas are so central that they become engraved in their minds. In the field of Modern Physics, there is E = m • c2. In the field of Newtonian Mechanics, there is Fnet = m • a. In the field of Wave Mechanics, there is v = f • λ. And in the field of current electricity, there is ΔV = I • R.

The predominant equation which pervades the study of electric circuits is the equation

ΔV = I • R

In words, the electric potential difference between two points on a circuit (ΔV) is equivalent to the product of the current between those two points (I) and the total resistance of all electrical devices present between those two points (R). Through the rest of this unit of The Physics Classroom, this equation will become the most common equation which we see. Often referred to as the Ohm's law equation, this equation is a powerful predictor of the relationship between potential difference, current and resistance.

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