Ohms Law

A simple relationship among voltage, current and resistance.

How voltage, current and resistance are related in an ideal resistive model.

What is Ohm's law?

Ohm's law states that for an ideal ohmic component, V = I R.

Voltage is measured in volts, current in amperes and resistance in ohms.

The same relationship can be rearranged as I = V/R and R = V/I.

What does it explain?

Ohm's law lets engineers predict current through a resistor, voltage drops in a circuit and power dissipation.

Combined with Kirchhoff's laws, it supports the analysis of large networks.

What are its limits?

Ohm's law is not a law that every component obeys at every moment. A diode, transistor, battery, filament lamp or biological tissue may have a nonlinear or changing current-voltage relationship.

Even a resistor changes with temperature and frequency.

Why is it valuable?

It is a compact model with enormous practical use. Its value comes from knowing when its assumptions apply and when a richer model is needed.

Ai disclosure: written with the help of AI (ChatGPT). You are encouraged to point out errors and omissions.  

Updated: 2026 Sep 18