Question

Ohm's Law states that the potential difference across a device is equal to a) the current flowing through the device times the resistance of the device. b) the current flowing through the device divided by the resistance of the device. c) the resistance of the device divided by the current flowing through the device. d) the current flowing through the device times the cross-sectional area of the device, e) the current flowing through the device times the length of the device.

Short answer

Answer: a) the current flowing through the device times the resistance of the device.

Step-by-step solution

Understand Ohm's Law

First, let's recall Ohm's law, which states that the potential difference (V) across a device is proportional to the current (I) flowing through it and the resistance (R) of the device. Mathematically, this can be expressed as: V = I * R Now, we will analyze each statement and see which one matches the Ohm's Law equation.

Analyze statement a

Statement a says that potential difference across a device is equal to the current flowing through the device times the resistance of the device. Mathematically, this can be written as: V = I * R This statement exactly matches the Ohm's Law equation, so this is the correct statement.

Analyze statement b

Statement b says that potential difference across a device is equal to the current flowing through the device divided by the resistance of the device. Mathematically, this can be written as: V = I / R This statement does not match the Ohm's Law equation, so it is incorrect.

Analyze statement c

Statement c says that potential difference across a device is equal to the resistance of the device divided by the current flowing through the device. Mathematically, this can be written as: V = R / I This statement does not match the Ohm's Law equation, so it is incorrect.

Analyze statement d

Statement d says that potential difference across a device is equal to the current flowing through the device times the cross-sectional area of the device. There is no relation between potential difference and cross-sectional area of the device in Ohm's Law, so this statement is incorrect.

Analyze statement e

Statement e says that potential difference across a device is equal to the current flowing through the device times the length of the device. There is no relation between potential difference and length of the device in Ohm's Law. This statement is also incorrect.

Conclusion

After analyzing all statements, we can conclude that statement a) the current flowing through the device times the resistance of the device, is the correct representation of Ohm's Law.