Knackpad

Ohm's Law Calculator

Enter any two of Voltage, Current, Resistance or Power — get all four instantly, with unit prefixes and a power-rating check.

Voltage
Current
Resistance
Power

Ohm's Law Triangle

V I R Cover the unknown to see the formula
FindFormulaGiven
Voltage (V)V = I × RCurrent, Resistance
Voltage (V)V = P / IPower, Current
Voltage (V)V = √(P × R)Power, Resistance
Current (I)I = V / RVoltage, Resistance
Current (I)I = P / VPower, Voltage
Current (I)I = √(P / R)Power, Resistance
Resistance (R)R = V / IVoltage, Current
Resistance (R)R = V² / PVoltage, Power
Resistance (R)R = P / I²Power, Current
Power (W)P = V × IVoltage, Current
Power (W)P = I² × RCurrent, Resistance
Power (W)P = V² / RVoltage, Resistance

How It Works

1

Enter any two values. You can use any combination of Voltage, Current, Resistance and Power. The calculator solves all 12 possible formula combinations automatically — you don't need to pick which formula to use.

2

Pick the right unit prefix. Working with milliamps? Choose mA. Dealing with a megaohm bleed resistor? Switch to MΩ. The dropdowns convert everything to base units (V, A, Ω, W) before calculating.

3

Read the four results. Voltage in V, Current in A, Resistance in Ω and Power in W are displayed with automatic prefix scaling (e.g. 0.02 A is shown as 20 mA). Hit Copy to grab any value.

4

Check your resistor rating. Once power is known, the power-rating checker appears. Choose a standard wattage (⅛ W, ¼ W, etc.) to instantly see if your resistor can handle the dissipation — with a visual bar that turns red when over-spec.

FAQ

What is Ohm's Law?

Ohm's Law states that the voltage (V) across a conductor is directly proportional to the current (I) flowing through it, with resistance (R) as the constant of proportionality: V = I × R. Published by Georg Simon Ohm in 1827, it's the foundation of circuit analysis. Combine it with the power formula P = V × I to get the full "power wheel" that this calculator implements.

Can I enter Power instead of Voltage or Current?

Yes — this calculator lets you use any two of the four quantities (V, I, R, P) as inputs. For example entering Power = 1 W and Resistance = 100 Ω yields I = √(P/R) = 100 mA and V = 10 V. The formula used is shown below the Calculate button so you always know which path the solver took.

How do I enter 20 mA or 4.7 kΩ?

Use the unit dropdown next to each field. Type 20 in the Current box and choose mA from its dropdown; type 4.7 in Resistance and choose . The calculator converts to base SI units (amps, ohms) before solving, so you never need to manually shift decimals.

What resistor wattage should I choose?

A safe rule of thumb is to choose a resistor rated at least 2× the calculated power dissipation. For example, if your resistor dissipates 0.1 W, pick a ¼ W (0.25 W) part at minimum — but ½ W or 1 W gives a comfortable thermal margin. The power-rating bar turns amber above 50 % load and red above 80 % load.

Why does my result show scientific notation?

When a value is very small (below 0.001) or very large (above 999,999), the calculator displays it in engineering-style prefix notation (e.g. 4.7 µA) or falls back to scientific notation (4.7e-9). This keeps the display readable across the full range from picoampere signals to kilowatt power supplies.