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Hello everyone,

I need to do a design lab report on the voltaic cell. I already came up with a research question but I don't know which formulation of the question I should use. It would be very helpful if you could give your opinion on it. :)

Formulation 1:

How do different concentrations of the copper electrolyte impact the electric current in a voltaic cell?

Formulation 2:

How do different concentrations of the copper electrolyte impact the voltage in a voltaic cell?

I have read that the definition of electric current is "the rate at which electric charge flows past a point in a circuit" and that the definition of voltage is "the electrical force that would drive an electric current between two points.", hence they are not the same.

Please give your opinion on which one above you think is better to use and then look below for two other questions I would like to be answered.

If I were to use Formulation 1, where I state "electric current", I would have to use an ammeter in my apparatus?

If I were to use Formulation 2, where I state "voltage", I would have to use a voltmeter in my apparatus?

Thank you very much,

AlainIB

I think it's better to use voltage, primarily because you can link it to standard electrode potentials (that might be higher level stuff but its useful to use here). Standard electrode potentials tell you the potential for any metal. The voltage is simply the difference in potential between two points, so using voltage would make your hypothesis stronger and give you more to talk about in your background, and a better idea of what to expect as a result.

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To measure voltage (or potential difference, which is the same), you should use a voltmeter, yes. 

Voltage and current are related by something called Ohm's Law (V = IR, where V is voltage, I is current and R is resistance), so if you measure one and know the resistance, you can calculate the other - although you wouldn't have to do that calculation in a chemistry lab. So I agree with the posts above, go with voltage as you can link it to some HL stuff :) 

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