3.2.1: Theory Overview

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Ohm’s law is commonly written as V = I * R. That is, for a given current, an increase in resistance will result in a greater voltage. Alternately, for a given voltage, an increase in resistance will produce a decrease in current. As this is a first order linear equation, plotting current versus voltage for a fixed resistance will yield a straight line. The slope of this line is the conductance, and conductance is the reciprocal of resistance. Therefore, for a high resistance, the plot line will appear closer to the horizontal while a lower resistance will produce a more vertical plot line.