Custom «Quantitative Techniques» Essay Paper Sample

My decision to make use of the experimental results from Peirson’s experiment is based on the fact that Ohms Law is a common, widely known phenomenon. It is a common knowledge among all physicists that Current and Voltage, measured through a given conductor, always provide a positive correlation. This makes this data easy to deal with, since the expected out come is already known, and mistakes in the analysis are easy to pin-point.   

For instance, in an experiment performed, by Brad Peirson, to verify Ohm’s Law, the following data was extracted:

This data can be represented in a scatter graph (Voltage against Current), to better demonstrate the correlation between Current and Voltage, as shown below.  

The scatter gram illustrates an increasing amount of current, as the voltage is increased. However, it is too scattered to provide a reliable interpretation of the data. It is, therefore, essential that a best-fit line is incorporated in to the scatter gram. This would help to provide a more reliable interpretation of the correlation between voltage and current. In addition, it would help to calculate a near accurate slope of the curve, which gives the Resistance of the conductor used, measured in Ohms, hence the Ohm’s Law.    

Analysis of the Results

The value of voltage increases with an increase in current. For the conductor, which was used in this experiment, the values of data that were obtained are not as many as could be expected. But still, with the ones that have been presented in the table, they are sufficient to show the correlation that exists between voltage and current. Indeed, they show a gradual increase in the amount of current, with the increase of voltage. This is in agreement with the expected result that should depict a positive correlation between Voltage and Current. The straying of the two points out of the best fit line are because of possible error in the experiment like inaccurate reading of the Voltmeter or Ammeter, or fluctuating temperatures of the conductor used

Description of the Results

Usually voltage-current analysis is done with a complete circuit that connects a Voltmeter across the conductor whose resistance is to be measured with an Ammeter, connected in series. However, for this experiment, different materials of different conductors were used. Each Voltmeter reading has a corresponding Ammeter reading. The use of different materials of conductors, however, may make the results of the experiment unreliable. This unreliability is perhaps best demonstrated by the third reading in the Voltmeter (2.621), which is relatively high as compared to the second reading (1.803), despite the corresponding amount of current being lower in the former than in the latter. This is a significant error since the measuring of the Resistance of a conductor, which establishes the Ohm’s Law, requires that all other factors are held at a constant, and only Voltage and current are fluctuated.    

Analysis of the Experimental Results

The values of voltage and current that were collected during the experiment show a positive correlation. As the value of voltage increases, the value of the current also increases. The line of best fit, which is drawn on the scatter gram, directly touches two points on the scatter gram, leaving a single point above it and a single point below. This scenario is acceptable on the ground that the best fit line runs along possible average points, for the values of voltage and current, leaving above or below it points generated with possible error in the experiment.