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    Comparing Voltage Drops and Currents in Parallel Lab: The Laboratory

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    Osama Elhadad
    reactor

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Comparing Voltage Drops and Currents in Parallel Lab: The Laboratory

    Uploaded by

    Osama Elhadad
    44 views3 pages
    reactor

    Original Title

    C9tg

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    reactor

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    44 views3 pages

    Comparing Voltage Drops and Currents in Parallel Lab: The Laboratory

    Uploaded by

    Osama Elhadad
    reactor

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    The
Laboratory


    Comparing
Voltage
Drops
and
Currents
in
Parallel
Lab

    Teacher’s
Guide

    

    Topic:

    Electric
Circuits

    


    The
following
information
is
provided
to
the
student:

    

    Question:



    How
do
the
voltage
drops
across
the
three
resistors
of
a
parallel
circuit
compare
to
each
other?

Are

    these
voltage
drops
different
for
different
resistors?

How
do
the
voltage
drops
compare
to
the
voltage

    gain
in
the
battery?

How
do
the
current
values
in
the
individual
branches
compare
to
each
other?

Are

    these
currents
affected
by
the
resistance
of
the
branches?

How
do
the
current
values
compare
to
the

    current
at
the
battery
location?

For
any
individual
resistor,
how
are
the
voltage
drop,
current
and

    resistance
related?

How
can
all
these
comparisons
be
expressed
using
mathematical
equations?

    

    Purpose:



    To
compare
voltage
drops
across
the
three
resistors
of
a
parallel
circuit
and
to
compare
current
values

    at
the
three
resistor
locations
and
outside
of
the
branches
of
a
parallel
circuit.

    

    A
complete
lab
write‐up
includes
a
Title,
a
Purpose,
a
Data
section,
and
a
Conclusion/Discussion
of

    Results.

The
Data
section
should
include
a
schematic
of
a
three‐resistor
parallel
circuit.

The

    resistance
values
should
be
indicated
on
the
diagram.

Ammeter
locations
should
be
indicated
on
the

    diagram
as
well.

Measurements
of
∆V1,
∆V2,
and
∆V3
should
be
indicated
in
a
table
or
on
the
diagram.


    Measurements
of
I1,
I2,
and
I3
should
be
indicated
in
a
table
or
on
the
diagram.

The

    Conclusion/Discussion
should
identify
equations
relating
the
branch
currents
to
the
voltage
drop
and

    resistance
values
for
those
branches
and
to
relate
the
branch
currents
to
the
total
current
in
the

    circuit.

Conceptual
ideas
should
be
extracted
from
the
data
and
referenced
to
the
data.

Equations

    should
be
stated.

An
error
analysis
should
be
performed
and
percent
difference
values
calculated.


    Materials
Required:

    Four
D‐cells;

battery
holder;
alligator
leads;

three
resistors
(with
a
different
resistance);

computer

    interfaced
ammeter
and
voltage
probes.

    

    Description
of
Procedure:

    A
three‐resistor
parallel
circuit
is
constructed
with
each
resistor
positioned
within
its
own
branch.

An

    ammeter
is
placed
outside
of
the
branches
between
the
node
(where
all
three
branches
connect

    together)
and
the
battery
pack
filled
with
four
D‐cells.

The
two
leads
of
the
voltage
probes
are

    simultaneously
tapped
on
opposite
sides
of
the
first
resistor;

the
voltage
drop
(∆V1)
is
recorded.

The

    process
is
repeated
for
the
other
two
resistors
in
order
to
determine
their
voltage
drops
(∆V2
and
∆V3).


    Finally,
the
two
leads
of
the
voltage
probes
are
simultaneously
tapped
to
opposite
sides
of
the
battery

    pack
to
determine
the
voltage
output
of
the
battery
(∆Vtot).

The
ammeter
reading
is
taken
outside
of
the

    branches
to
determine
the
total
current
(Itot)
within
the
circuit.

The
ammeter
is
then
moved
inside
of

    each
individual
branch
in
order
to
determine
the
current
in
each
of
the
branches
(I1,
I2,
and
I3).


    Resistance
values
of
the
resistors
are
also
recorded.

The
data
is
inspected
and
calculations
are

    performed
in
order
to
determine
the
answers
to
the
questions
raised
in
the
Purpose
of
the
lab.

    

    

    Alternative
Materials
and
Procedure:


    ©

The
Physics
Classroom,
2009

    The
Laboratory


    A
couple
of
multimeters
can
be
used
in
place
of
the
computer
interfaced
ammeter
and
voltmeter.



    


    Safety
Concern:

    There
is
always
a
higher
than
usual
level
of
risk
associated
with
working
in
a
science
lab.

Teachers

    should
be
aware
of
this
and
take
the
necessary
precautions
to
insure
that
the
working
environment
is
as

    safe
as
possible.

Student
horseplay
and
off‐task
behaviors
should
not
be
tolerated.

    


    Suggestions,
Precautions,
Notes:

    1.
 With
a
thorough
explanation
of
terms
and
a
description
of
how
to
use
the
equipment,
both
the

    procedure
and
the
analysis
are
do‐able
by
most
students.

At
times
they
will
struggle
with
what
to

    do
and
how
to
do
it.

A
re‐iteration
of
how
to
use
the
equipment
is
often
sufficient
guidance
to
help

    lab
groups
hurdle
the
obstacles.

    2.
 Demonstrate
how
to
use
the
voltage
probes
to
determine
a
voltage
difference
between
two
points.

    Make
sure
students
are
using
the
probes
correctly
and
not
wiring
the
voltage
probes
into
the

    circuit.

Make
sure
the
ammeters
are
being
wired
into
the
circuit,
in
series
with
the
resistors.

    3.
 Combining
the
lab
with
a
reading
assignment
on
the
mathematics
of
parallel
circuits
may
make

    both
the
lab
and
the
reading
more
enlightening.

    4.
 This
lab
offers
students
a
challenge
at
collecting
quantitative
data
and
making
numerical
sense
of

    it.

In
their
Conclusion/Discussion,
students
might
simply
state
equations
which
they
have
read
in

    some
physics
textbook.

Emphasize
that
they
are
to
provide
evidence
for
such
equations,
making

    specific
references
to
their
data.

    5.
 Many
resistors
utilize
a
color
code
to
convey
the
theoretical
resistance.

Information
about
the

    interpretation
of
the
colors
is
typically
available
online.

Conducting
a
Google
search
for
"Resistor

    Color
Code
Convention"
will
return
a
collection
of
web
sites,
such
as

    http://www.diyaudioandvideo.com/Electronics/Color/

    

    Auxiliary
Materials:

    None

    


    Scoring
Rubric:

    C9.
 Comparing
Voltage
Drops
and
Currents
in
Parallel
Lab
 Score

    
 
 
 Included,
labeled
and
organized
all
parts
of
the
lab
report.
 

    
 
 
 Data
section
includes
a
schematic
diagram;

resistors
are
labeled
and
values
 _____/_____

    are
stated,
along
with
a
unit.

Ammeter
locations
and
voltmeter
 

    arrangements
are
shown
and
labeled
as
∆V1,
I1,
etc.

Measured
values
are

    listed
on
the
diagram;

all
necessary
measurements
are
made;
units
are

    given.

Calculations
are
performed
and
work
is
shown
in
an
effort
to

    determine
mathematical
equations
relating
the
quantities.

Data
is

    reasonably
accurate.

    
 
 
 Conclusion/Discussion
identifies
the
mathematical
relationships
between

    the
voltage
drops,
currents
and
resistance
values
for
each
resistor.

The

    voltage
gain
in
the
battery
is
compared
to
the
voltage
drops
across
each

    individual
resistor;

the
current
through
the
battery
is
compared
to
the

    branch
currents.

All
questions
are
answered
(see
Questions
section);

data
is

    used
to
support
the
answers.
Discussion
is
complete
and
accurate;

reveals

    understanding.


    Connections
to
The
Physics
Classroom
Tutorial:


    ©

The
Physics
Classroom,
2009

    The
Laboratory


    The
following
reading
is
a
suitable
accompaniment
to
this
lab:

    http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circuits/u9l4a.cfm

    http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circuits/u9l4d.cfm

    

    Connections
to
Minds
on
Physics
Internet
Modules:

    Sublevels
8
and
10
of
the
Electric
Circuits
module
are
suitable
accompaniments
to
this
lab:

    http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mop/module.cfm

    

    


    ©

The
Physics
Classroom,
2009


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