Interactive Simulator · Potential difference and power

Turn Up the Power

Set the voltage across a resistor and the current follows from V = IR; the charge carriers speed up as the current rises, and the resistor glows brighter as the power dissipated tracks P = VI, with all three equivalent forms agreeing.

Mission Predict how the power changes when the voltage across a fixed resistor is doubled. Streak 0Best 0
Doubling the voltage across a fixed resistor changes the power to:
voltage V6 V
resistance R3 Ω
current I = V/R2.00 A
power P = VI12.0 W
P = VI = I²R = V²/R, three equivalent forms of the same power.