Daily Almanac for
Dec 10, 2009
Search White Pages
Search: Infoplease Info search tips
Search: Biographies Bio search tips
Encyclopedia

Ohm's law

Ohm's law (ōm) [key][for G. S. Ohm], law stating that the electric current i flowing through a given resistance r is equal to the applied voltage v divided by the resistance, or i=v/r. For general application to alternating-current circuits where inductances and capacitances as well as resistances may be present, the law must be amended to i=v/z, where z is impedance. There are conductors in which the current that flows is not proportional to the applied voltage. These do not follow this law and are called nonohmic conductors.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

    • Cite
    • Print
    • Bookmark

More on Ohm's law from Infoplease:

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Electrical Engineering