Ohm's Law
Understand the relationship between voltage, current and resistance, then create and test circuits in small groups.
- Grade 9
- 2 activities
- 1.3 hours
Big idea
Electric current is the flow of electric charge.
Learning objectives
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate the relationship between voltage, current and resistance.
- Solve for an unknown value using Ohm’s Law.
Activities
Exploring Ohm’s Law
Build a circuit to demonstrate the relationship between voltage and current.
Solving Ohm’s Law
Extend your knowledge of the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance.
BC curriculum fit
Grade 9 Science
Content
- Voltage, current and resistance
- Circuits
Curricular competencies
Questioning and predicting
- Demonstrate a sustained intellectual curiosity about a scientific topic or problem of personal interest
- Make observations aimed at identifying their own questions, including increasingly complex ones, about the natural world
Planning and conducting
- Collaboratively and individually plan, select, and use appropriate investigation methods, including field work and lab experiments, to collect reliable data (qualitative and quantitative)
Assessments
During group work, note the students’ abilities to build and test for resistance in a circuit. Worksheet activities allow students to show their understanding of the relationship between current and voltage and their ability to calculate an unknown value in the Ohm’s Law equation.
Background info
Ohm’s Law shows the relationship between voltage and current. It’s usually shown as a mathematical relationship with the formula V = I x R, where V is voltage, I is current, and R is resistance. Resistance is the ratio of voltage to current and the formulas below allow us to calculate any one unknown value:
