AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism 11.3.B—Describe the electrical characteristics of elements of a circuit Concept

Describe the electrical characteristics of elements of a circuit.

Ohm’s law relates current, resistance, and potential difference across a conductive element of a circuit. Relevant equation:
- i. Materials that obey Ohm’s law have constant resistance for all currents and are called ohmic materials.
- ii. The resistivity of an ohmic material is constant regardless of temperature.
- iii. Resistors can also convert electrical energy to thermal energy, which may change the temperature of both the resistor and the resistor’s environment.
- iv. The resistance of an ohmic circuit element can be determined from the slope of a graph of the current in the element as a function of the potential difference across the element.