What is the Ohm’s Law?

The Ohm is derived from German physicist & mathematician Georg Ohm.  He is the creator of Ohm’s law and began research on the electrochemical cell, which was preceded by Italian scientist Alessandro Volta.  So, what is Ohm’s law?  Ohm’s Law is when the current through a conductor between two points is exactly proportional to the voltage across those two points.  Ohm’s law describes a multitude of experiments that have shown that current is approximately proportional to most materials. 

Resistive Circuits:

Recognize the word?  Anyone that works or has a familiarity with speakers, amplifiers, woofers, stereos, and so on, knows what a resistor is.  They are practically embedded in all your electronics.  From your EQ & Rack effects to your DV cam and your amplifiers.  A resistor is the necessary component in all electronics that have a specific resistance value “R, and prevent the passage of electric charge, agreeing with Ohm’s law.  Resistors come in both series or parallel and can be grouped together as a single equivalent resistance.  Some musicians or guitar players will recognize the terms series or parallel. 

Remember when you saw those numbers behind your amp and cabinets (4, 8, 16) and were wondering what the hell do those numbers mean? Simply put,  it specifies the load and what your speakers could handle in relation to your amp.  This helps to make sure your speakers are in phase and you’re getting the best sound possible.  For example; Mesa Boogie amps can handle 4 and 8 ohms.  Whereas Marshalls can handle 16 ohms.  If you mismatch the load this can lead to damage either to your speakers or your amps transformers, so always make sure to read your manual or ask someone who knows. 

This brings us to wiring in parallel or series.  When wiring in parallel the resistance of the speakers decreases.  Wiring in series is when you have two speakers rated at 8 ohms and plug them into a 16-ohm load.  Finally, you can wire your speakers in both series & parallel at the same time. This is essentially just two sets of series wired speakers connected in parallel. 

This doesn’t strictly apply to amplifiers and or cabinets.  The same would go for subwoofers, stereos, and anything needing to be connected to a speaker.   In short, this all revolves around Ohm’s law, as he set the bar for the modern-day understanding of conductance and the use of voltage.