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The Required Practical — Circuit Setup

Part of I-V Characteristics · GCSE GCSE Physics revision

This deep dive covers The Required Practical — Circuit Setup within I-V Characteristics for GCSE Physics. Revise I-V Characteristics in Extra Topics for GCSE Physics with 13 exam-style questions and 11 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 2 of 12 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 2 of 12

Practice

13 questions

Recall

11 flashcards

⚡ The Required Practical — Circuit Setup

Standard GCSE required-practical circuit for investigating I-V characteristics, drawn on a dark backdrop with cyan circuit traces. Going clockwise from the cell on the left (vertical orientation, amber + terminal at the top, cyan − terminal at the bottom), the top wire passes through a closed switch then a variable resistor (rheostat with diagonal arrow showing it can change the current). The right wire passes through an ammeter circle (amber A inside) measuring the current. The bottom wire passes through the test component R (resistor, lamp, or diode). A voltmeter circle (amber V inside) is connected in parallel across R via a separate loop below R, measuring the potential difference across the component. A small amber arrow on the top wire shows the conventional current direction from + to −.

Figure 1: Circuit for investigating I-V characteristics — ammeter in series, voltmeter in parallel

Equipment

  • Power supply (variable or with variable resistor)
  • Ammeter (in series with the component)
  • Voltmeter (in parallel across the component)
  • Variable resistor (rheostat) — to change current
  • Test component (resistor, filament lamp, or diode)

Method

  1. Set up the circuit with the ammeter in series and voltmeter in parallel
  2. Adjust the variable resistor to change the current through the circuit
  3. Record pairs of current (A) and voltage (V) readings
  4. Reverse the power supply connections and repeat to get negative values
  5. Plot a graph with voltage (V) on the x-axis and current (I) on the y-axis

Safety note: Filament lamps get hot — allow to cool between readings. Do not exceed the rated voltage of components.

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in I-V Characteristics. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

Mapping How Components Behave with ElectricityThe Three Key I-V Characteristic ShapesWhy Resistance Changes — The Physics ExplanationSummary Comparison Table

Practice Questions for I-V Characteristics

What does an I-V characteristic graph show for a component?

  • A. How resistance varies with temperature
  • B. How current varies with voltage
  • C. How power varies with time
  • D. How voltage varies with time
1 markfoundation

Explain why the I-V graph for a filament lamp is not a straight line.

2 marksstandard

Quick Recall Flashcards

What is an ohmic conductor?
A component where current is directly proportional to voltage at constant temperature. The I-V graph is a straight line through the origin
What is a diode used for?
Converting AC to DC (rectification), because it only conducts in one direction

13 questions on I-V Characteristics — practise free

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Mapping How Components Behave with Electricity

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The Three Key I-V Characteristic Shapes