amperageohms-lawvoltage
I hear people say things like "I only put 5 amps through the circuit but I put a bunch of volts". I don't understand how this is possible if V=IR. Lets say you have a circuit with 5 ohms of resistance so V=I(5). The amount of voltage and current I am allowed to put through it has to be proportional.
Can anyone can give a good intuitive answer (don't go too in depth with math) that is understandable?
My favorite educator, Bill Beaty, often rants at the many misconceptions that all too many people have been infected with. One of the many common misconceptions involves batteries.
"Frequently-Asked Electricity Questions": "THE LIQUID BETWEEN A BATTERY'S PLATES IS A GOOD CONDUCTOR. SO WHY DOESN'T IT SHORT OUT THE BATTERY?"
"Why is electricity so hard to understand?" "...mistaken belief that no charge flows through batteries. ... This leads to the traditional incorrect flashlight-current explanation (current comes out of battery, flows...etc.) It also leads to the misconception that batteries SUPPLY CHARGE, and have a storage place for "used" charge. This might make sense if we believe that there's no path for charge through the battery. But it's wrong, because there is a path, a path provided by flowing charged atoms. Charge must flow around and around a circuit, passing THROUGH the battery over and over."
"But how SHOULD we teach kids about 'electricity'?" "A battery is a chemically-fueled charge pump. Like any other pump, a battery takes charges in through one connection and spits them out through the other. A battery is not a source of the "stuff" being pumped. When a battery runs down, it's because its chemical fuel is exhausted, not because any charges have been lost. ... When you "recharge" a battery, you are pumping charges through it backwards, which reverses the chemical reactions and converts the waste products back again into chemical fuel."
'Which way does the "electricity" really flow?' "When you connect a lightbulb to a battery, you form a complete circuit, and the path of the flowing charge is through the inside of the battery, as well as through the light bulb filament. Battery electrolyte is very conductive."
What you do with a current limited power supply is set to maximum properties. The power supply will regulate its output voltage in such a way that the lowest condition is met.
I drew a graph for how a current limited power supply will act with varying resistance connected. Consider a 12V power supply limited to 1A.
Best Answer
If you re-read your question, then it sort of answer's itself. Yes...in a pure DC circuit, Ohms Law is King, and so V=I*R. But you stated they said "I only put 5 Amps through the Circuit....so if they put a constant 5 Amps through the circuit, then the voltage will be the current times the resistance. Since they didn't state the Resistance, then the value of the Voltage may be a "bunch of Volts"....if the resistance is high enough. Simply put....under normal everyday simple DC circuits....most people drive them with either a Voltage or Current Source...but typically not both. If they drive the circuit with a Current, then they will see the Voltage go up proportionally. So I believe maybe they didn't mean they "Put In" both Current and Voltage, but they put in Current and Measured a Bunch of Voltage...or Vice Versa.