Investigating Electricity With PASCO Current Sensors
Understanding electricity is easier when students can measure it directly. PASCO current sensors make invisible electrical quantities visible, allowing learners to explore current flow, Ohm’s Law, and circuit behaviour with real-time data.
The Setup
A PASCO current sensor connects easily into a circuit, just like an ammeter. When linked to PASCO software or a data logger, it records current continuously and displays it on a graph.
Typical investigations include:
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Measuring how current changes with voltage in a simple circuit.
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Comparing current in series and parallel circuits.
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Observing how resistance affects current flow.
The advantage is accuracy — and instant visual feedback.
Experiments in Action
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Ohm’s Law
Students vary the potential difference across a resistor and record the current. Plotting current against voltage produces a straight line through the origin, confirming that . -
Series and Parallel Circuits
By building and measuring different circuit types, students discover that:
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In series circuits, current is the same everywhere.
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In parallel circuits, current splits between branches.
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Temperature and Resistance
Using a filament bulb or thermistor, students can measure how resistance changes as the component warms up.
Skills Highlight
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Accurate measurement and graph plotting.
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Understanding relationships between current, voltage, and resistance.
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Designing and modifying circuits safely.
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Analysing real data instead of relying on theoretical values.
Why It Works in Teaching
The PASCO current sensor turns theory into observation. Students see the link between voltage and current unfold on screen in real time. It builds data-handling skills, reinforces key electrical relationships, and shows how digital sensors improve accuracy over traditional meters.
Electricity becomes a measurable, dynamic process rather than a set of abstract equations.
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