About Voltage, Current, and Resistance

Highly Recommended
Like all our Science Reasoning Center activities, the completion of the Voltage, Current, and Resistance activity requires that a student use provided information about a phenomenon, experiment, or data presentation to answer questions. This information is accessible by tapping on the small thumbnails found on the bottom right of every question. However, it may be considerably easier to have a printed copy of this information or to display the information in a separate browser window. You can access this information from this page. 






The Standards
The Voltage, Current, and Resistance activity describes two experiments performed by a class in order to determine the mathematical equation relating the voltage, current, and resistance for a simple circuit. Data tables for a specific lab group, graphs with linear regression statistics, and class data are provided. Questions target a student's ability to understand the design of the experiment including the rationale behind the graphing and linear regression. Questions also target a student's ability to draw conclusions about the relationship between the three quantities and the evidence that supports such conclusions. Finally, questions target a student's ability to use the model to make predictions of teh results for subsequent trials.


Success with the activity requires some degree of proficiency with respect to  ...
 

• Developing and Using Models (Science and Engineering Practice 2.6)
  Develop and/or use a model (including mathematical and computational) to generate data to support explanations, predict phenomena, analyze systems, and/or solve problems.
• Planning and Carrying Out Investigations (Science and Engineering Practice 3.5)
  Make directional hypotheses that specify what happens to a dependent variable when an independent variable is manipulated.
• Analyzing and Interpreting Data (Science and Engineering Practice 4.2)
  Apply concepts of statistics and probability (including determining function fits to data, slope, intercept, and correlation coefficient for linear fits) to scientific and engineering questions and problems, using digital tools when feasible.
• Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking (Science and Engineering Practice 5.3)
  Use mathematical, computational, and/or algorithmic representations of phenomena or design solutions to describe and/or support claims and/or explanations.
• Engaging in Argument from Evidence (Science and Engineering Practice 7.5)
  Make and defend a claim based on evidence about the natural world or the effectiveness of a design solution that reflects scientific knowledge, and student-generated evidence.
• Cause and Effect (Crosscutting Concept 1.2)
  Empirical evidence is needed to identify patterns.
• Scale, Proportion, and Quantity (Crosscutting Concept 3.2)
  Algebraic thinking is used to examine scientific data and predict the effect of a change in one variable on another (e.g., linear growth vs. exponential growth).
• Stability and Change (Crosscutting Concept 7.1)
  Much of science deals with constructing explanations of how things change and how they remain stable.

While the Voltage, Current, and Resistance activity addresses the five NextGen Science and Engineering Practices and the three crosscutting concepts above, the activity drew its greatest inspiration from ACT's College Readiness Standards for Science Reasoning. The activity consists of 48 questions organized into 14 Question Groups that are spread across the three activities. All three strands (Interpretation of Data - IOD; Scientific Investigation - SIN; and Experimental Results - EMI) of the College Readiness Standards are addressed in this activity. The code given for the standard includes three letters to indicate the strand and three numbers to indicate the specific standard within that strand. Higher numbers are indicative of more complex science reasoning skills. The relationship between the questions and the standards is as follows:





Complementary and Similar Resources
The following resources at The Physics Classroom website complement the Voltage, Current, and Resistance Science Reasoning Activity. Teachers may find them useful for supporting students and/or as components of lesson plans and unit plans.


Physics Classroom Tutorial, Electric Circuits Chapter: Ohm's Law

Physics Video Tutorial, Electric Circuits: Voltage, Current, and Resistance

Physics Interactives, Electric Circuits: DC Circuit Builder

Concept Checkers, Electric Circuits: ∆V-I-R Relationship

Concept Builders, Electric Circuits: Equations as a Guide to Thinking

Concept Builders, Electric Circuits: Series Circuit Calculations

Minds On Physics, Electric Circuits Module, Mission EC4: Resistance, Voltage, and Current

The Calculator Pad, Electric Circuits, Problem Sets EC3 and EC4