I.

ABSTRACT

The RC, RL, and RLC circuits are widely used in electronic circuit design. A RC circuit contains
a resistor and a capacitor, hence the name. On the other hand RL circuits consist of a resistor and an
inductor, while the RLC circuit is a combination of both RC and RL. In this lab experiment the values of
impedance must be obtained by the experiment participants in order to fully grasp the accuracy of the
following given circuits. Some of the data was gathered experimentally using Phet Colorado Simulation
to recreate the RC, RL, and RLC circuits theoretically, and measuring them using the voltmeter and
ammeter. On the other hand, other data was gathered mathematically through calculations using various
equations, formulas and laws.

II. INTRODUCTION

Follow along as you learn the principles of electrical circuit theory, including basic mathematical
models and analysis, using this and the previous laboratory experiments. Before we start, let us first
know the circuit. What is a circuit? A circuit is a closed loop that electrons can travel in. A source of
electricity, such as a battery, provides electrical energy in the circuit. Unless the circuit is complete, that
is, making a full circle back to the electrical source, no electrons will move. There are two basic ways to
connect more than two circuit components: series and parallel circuits. A series circuit contains more than
one resistor and so has only one path for the charges to follow. It is one in which the resistors of the other
electrical devices are connected end to end, sharing the same current, but the total impressed voltage is
divided among the circuit's many elements. The overall resistance of a series of resistors is equal to the
sum of their individual resistances.

A parallel circuit, on the other hand, includes more than one resistor and gets its name from
having parallel routes for electrons to go through. The presence of the same voltage across all parallel
branches characterizes a parallel circuit. Thus, in any parallel circuit phasor diagram, the common voltage
should be used as the reference phasor.

Using an online circuit simulator called PhET Colorado, the group was able to modify the
provided circuit design during the course of the laboratory experiment. Interactive computer simulations
with intricate graphics and representations are a very recent addition to the classroom, and there isn't
much research in this area. Additionally, we are then able to use our understanding of Ohm's law's
fundamental application to determine the total magnitude and impedance of a specific RC, RL, and RLC
parallel circuit.

The RC circuit is also made up of a resistance connected in series with the capacitor, and the
capacitor can be charged using a battery supply. The RL Circuit, which consists of a resistance and an
inductor, uses a battery source to provide current to the inductor. The circuit is known as an RLC Parallel
circuit when resistance, inductance, and capacitance are connected in parallel. (Difference between RC
and RL Circuits.) The supply voltage in the parallel RLC circuit is shared by all components.
 To add some information and learn more about the things aforementioned above, let’s talk about
the ac and dc circuits. Now, what are ac and dc circuits? To start, ac circuits or alternating currents are
basically electrical circuits that are fueled by an alternate source of current or voltage. When either the
voltage or the current fluctuates around a clear mean value and periodically reverses direction, this is
referred to as an alternating voltage or current. For dc circuits, it is simply the enclosed path that direct
current travels along. To add, the DC circuit's primary element is the resistor. Now, to sum up these two,
the voltage is always constant and the electricity flows in one direction with direct current. Contrarily, in
alternating current, the voltage alternates between positive and negative states on a periodic basis, and the
current's direction does the same.

Now for the excerpt from the laboratory experiment, the fundamental application of Ohm's Law,
which states that voltage and current have a direct relationship and are inversely proportional to circuit
resistance, will serve as the foundation for the entire lab experiment. The group came to the conclusion
that the relationship between our impedance, power, and voltage result values and their actual values
could alter as a result of manipulation in the simulator.

III. METHODS AND MATERIALS

The following are the materials used on the experiment:

Item Definition
and Function

PhET Colorado Simulation Interactive simulation which can be used to

theoretically create and perform experiments with
circuits.

Wire A conductor that allows the electrical current to

travel throughout the circuit.

AC Voltage Voltage where the current travels in

alternating direction in the wire over time.

Light Bulb A device that serves as a two-terminal

passive electrical component in electrical
(As a substitute for resistor) circuits to limit or regulate the flow of electric
current.
 Capacitor A device that has the ability to store energy in a
form of electrostatic field. It is a passive
component of an electric circuit.

Device which stores energy in the form of

Inductor magnetic energy. It hinders or opposes any
modification in the amount of current that flows
through it.

A device used for measuring the voltage

Voltmeter passing through the circuit.

A device that is used to measure the current of a

Ammeter circuit.

A tool on PhET Colorado Simulation used to

Voltage Chart visualize the sine waves of the voltage.

A tool on PhET Colorado Simulation used to

Current Chart visualize the sine waves of the current.
Table 1. Materials
IV. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

The following are the procedures followed in data gathering and observing the the different AC
circuits:

Figure 1. Experimental Procedure for Series RC Circuit

Figure 2. Experimental Procedure for Series RL Circuit
 Figure 3. Experimental Procedure for Series RLC Circuit

On conducting the experiment the group followed the experimental procedures as seen on FIgure
1., FIgure 2., and Figure 3.. The AC circuits were all recreated with the same values for the different
components. The values of the components are 15V∠60° AC voltage, 0.4Hz frequency, 10Ω resistors, 2.2H
inductors, and 0.13F capacitors. After the circuits were made IPEAK, ERPEAK, ECPEAK, and ELPEAK were measured
and observed using a voltmeter, an ammeter, a voltage chart and a current chart. These values were then
used to calculate the rms values of the needed data points. Using Ohm's law the value for the Z(measured)
for the circuits were obtained and the values for the Z(computed) were consequently calculated using
different formulas that are particular to each circuit. The difference with the Z(measured) and the
Z(computed) were then observed by calculating the percentage difference. At this stage the data points
for the Series RLC circuit would be complete however for the Series RC and Series RL circuit different
values of power were needed. Using the relationship in the power triangle the values for S, Q, and P were
obtained. Lastly the values of the S and PT were then observed using the percentage difference.
V. DATA AND RESULTS

The following are the data measured and computed on the experiment:

Circuit ET IPEAK I ERPEAK ER

Series RC 15V∠60° 1.43A 1.011A∠0° 14.29V 10.105V∠0°

Series RL 15V∠60° 1.31A 0.926A∠0° 13.13V 9.284V∠0°

Table 2. ET, I and ER of Series RC and RL

Circuit ECPEAK EC ELPEAK EL

Series RC 4.27V 3.019V∠0° N/a N/a

Series RL N/a N/a 7.00V 4.950V∠0°

Table 3. EC, and EL of Series RC and RL

Circuit Z (Measured) Z (Computed) %Difference θ Computed

Series RC 14.834Ω∠60° 10.458Ω∠-17.018° 161.337%∠-2 17.018°

9.334°

Series RL 16.193Ω∠60° 11.427Ω∠28.939° 65.349%∠-47. 28.939°

215°

Table 4. Z, %Difference and θ of Series RC and RL

Circuit S Q PR PT (Computed) %Difference

Series 15.167VA∠60 4.439VAR∠60 10.217watts∠0 13.270watts∠0 116.152%∠-3

RC ° ° ° ° 2.206°

Series 13.895VA∠60 6.723VAR∠60 8.600watts∠0° 13.185watts∠0 115.576%∠-3

RL ° ° ° 0.867°

Table 5. Powers and %Difference of Series RC and RL

Circuit ET IPEAK I ERPEAK ER

Series RLC 15V∠60° 1.33A 0.940A∠0° 14.56V 10.317V∠0°

Table 6. ET, I and ER of Series RLC

Circuit ECPEAK EC ELPEAK EL

Series RLC 4.64V 3.281V∠0° 7.77V 5.494V∠0°

Table 7. EC, EL of Series RC and RL

Circuit Z Z’ %Difference θ Computed

Series RLC 15.950Ω∠60 10.300Ω∠1 95.031% ∠-42.170° 13.866°

° 3.866°

Table 8. Powers and %Difference of Series RLC

VI. COMPUTATION

The following are the formulas and solutions that were performed to solve the needed values on
the experiment:

A. FOR SERIES RC

Solving for the I, ER and EC

RMS = PEAK / √2

I = IRMS = IPEAK / √2
I = 1.43A / √2
I = 1.011162697A∠0°

ER = ERRMS = ERPEAK / √2
ER = 14.29V / √2
ER = 10.1045559V∠0°

EC = ECRMS = ECPEAK / √2
EC = 4.27V / √2
EC = 3.019345956V∠0°

Solving for Z(measured)

Using Ohm’s Law

Z = ET / I
Z = 15V∠60° / 1.011162697A∠0° Z
= 14.83440815Ω∠60°

Solving for Z(computed)

XC = 1 / 2 π f c
XC = 1 / 2 π (0.4Hz) (0.13F)
XC = 3.060671983Ω

Z = R - j XC
Z = 10Ω - j 3.060671983Ω
Z = 10.45790194Ω∠-17.01763117°
θ = tan-1 ( XC / R )
θ = tan-1 ( 3.060671983Ω / 10Ω ) θ =
17.01763117°

Solving for Percent difference of Z(computed) and Z(measured)

% Difference = [ ( |V1 - V2 | ) / ( ( V1 + V2 ) / 2) ] x 100

% Difference = [ ( |14.83440815Ω∠60° - 10.45790194Ω∠-17.01763117°| ) /
( ( 14.83440815Ω∠60° + 10.45790194Ω∠-17.01763117°) /
2) ] x 100
% Difference = 161.3369661%∠-29.3305°

Solving for S

S = ET x I
S = 15V∠60° x 1.011162697A∠0° S
= 15.1674403VA∠60°

Solving for Q

Q = ET x I x sin θ
Q = 15V∠60° x 1.011162697A∠0° x sin (17.01763117°) Q =
4.438993582VAR∠60°

Solving for PR

PR = ER x I
PR = 10.1045559V∠0° x 1.011162697A∠0° PR =
10.21734989watts∠0°

Solving for PT(computed)

PC = EC x I
PC = 3.019345956V∠0° x 1.011162697A∠0° PC
= 3.05304997watts∠0°

PT = PR + PC
PT = 10.21734989watts∠0° + 3.05304997watts∠0° PT =
13.27039986watts∠0°

Solving for Percent difference of S and PT(computed)

% Difference = [ ( |V1 - V2 | ) / ( ( V1 + V2 ) / 2) ] x 100

% Difference = [ ( |15.1674403VA∠60° - 13.27039986watts∠0°| ) / ( ( 15.1674403VA∠60°
+ 13.27039986watts∠0°) / 2) ] x 100
% Difference = 116.1521467%∠-32.20560323°

B. FOR SERIES RL

Solving for the I, ER and EL

RMS = PEAK / √2

I = IRMS = IPEAK /√2

I = 1.31A / √2
I = 0.9263098834A∠0°

ER = ERRMS = ERPEAK / √2
ER = 13.13V / √2
ER = 9.284312037V∠0°

EL = ELRMS = ELPEAK / √2 EL
= 7.00V / √2
EL = 4.949747468V∠0°

Solving for Z(measured)

Using Ohm’s Law

Z = ET / I
Z = 15V∠60° / 0.9263098834A∠0° Z
= 16.19326506Ω∠60°

Solving for Z(computed)

XL = 2 π f l
XL = 2 π (0.4Hz) (2.2H)
XL = 5.529220307Ω

2 2
Z= 𝑅 + 𝑋𝐿
2 2
Z = 10 + 5. 529220307Ω
Z = 11.42681437Ω

θ = tan-1 ( XL / R )
θ = tan-1 ( 5.529220307Ω / 10Ω ) θ =
28.93909694°

Solving for Percent difference of Z(computed) and Z(measured)

% Difference = [ ( |V1 - V2 | ) / ( ( V1 + V2 ) / 2) ] x 100

% Difference = [ ( |16.19326506Ω∠60° - 11.42681437Ω∠28.93909694°| ) /
( ( 16.19326506Ω∠60° + 11.42681437Ω∠28.93909694°) /
2) ] x 100
% Difference = 65.34905371%∠-47,21520077°

Solving for S

S = ET x I
S = 15V∠60° x 0.9263098834A∠0° S
= 13.89464825VA∠60°

Solving for Q

Q = ET x I x sin θ
Q = 15V∠60° x 0.9263098834A∠0° x sin (28.93909694°) Q =
6.723337695VAR∠60°

Solving for PR

PR = ER x I
PR = 9.284312037V∠0° x 0.9263098834A∠0°
PR = 8.60015watts∠0°

Solving for PT(computed)

PL = EL x I
PL = 4.949747468V∠0° x 0.9263098834A∠0°
PL = 4.585watts∠0°

PT = PR + PL
PT = 8.60015watts∠0° + 4.585watts∠0° PT =
13.18515watts∠0°

Solving for Percent difference of S and PT(computed)

% Difference = [ ( |V1 - V2 | ) / ( ( V1 + V2 ) / 2) ] x 100

% Difference = [ ( |13.89464825VA∠60° - 13.18515watts∠0°| ) / ( ( 13.89464825VA∠60°
+ 13.18515watts∠0°) / 2) ] x 100
% Difference = 115.5756689%∠-30.8666321°

C. FOR SERIES RLC

Solving for the I, ER, EC and EL

RMS = PEAK / √2

I = IRMS = IPEAK / √2
I = 1.33A / √2
I = 0.940452019A∠0°

ER = ERRMS = ERPEAK / √2
ER = 14.59V / √2
ER = 10.31668794V∠0°

EC = ECRMS = ECPEAK / √2
EC = 4.64V / √2
EC = 3.280975465V∠0°

EL = ELRMS = ELPEAK / √2 EL
= 7.77V / √2
EL = 5.49421969V∠0°

Solving for Z(measured)

Using Ohm’s Law

Z = ET / I
Z = 15V∠60° / 0.940452019A∠0° Z
= 15.94977702Ω∠60°

Solving for Z(computed)

XL = 2 π f L
XL = 2 π (0.4Hz)(2.2H)
XL = 5.52920307Ω or 5.523Ω

XC = 1 / (2 π f C)
XC= 1 / [2 π (0.4Hz)(0.13F)] XC
= 3.060671983Ω

2 2
Z= 𝑅 + (𝑋𝐿 − 𝑋𝐶)
 2 2
Z = 10 + (5. 52920307 − 3. 060671983)
Z = 10.30017698Ω

θ = tan-1 ( (XL - XC )/ R )
θ = tan-1 ( (5.52920307Ω - 3.060671983Ω) / 10Ω ) θ =
13.86642073°

Solving for Percent difference of Z(computed) and Z(measured)

% Difference = [ ( |V1 - V2 | ) / ( ( V1 + V2 ) / 2) ] x 100

% Difference = [ ( |15.94977702Ω∠60 - 10.30017698Ω∠13.86642073°| ) / ( (
15.94977702Ω∠60°
+ 10.30017698Ω∠13.86642073°) / 2) ] x 100
% Difference = 95.03129267% ∠-42.16990952°

VII. DISCUSSION

The experiment for laboratory no.3 was simulated on PhET Colorado Simulation. Using the tools
available on the simulation the group was able to recreate different AC circuits particularly series RC,
series RL, and series RLC. Using the PhET Colorado Simulation it was easy to create and simulate the
circuits. Various data points were observed such as the voltages and the currents of the different parts of
the circuits like the resistors, capacitors and inductors. After collecting all the measurable data the group
then tried to solve the remaining data needed however due to the lack of understanding regarding
complex numbers the group struggled to find the angles for the different values. Upon latter realization
that the whole numbers for example a resistor with 3Ω would be equal to 3Ω∠0° = 3Ω + j0 the was able
to resolve the confusion and developed a deeper understanding on complex numbers (Patel, n.d.). With
the misunderstanding out of the way the group solved for the impedance, percentage difference and the
values of S, Q and P using the knowledge about the power triangle. Upon observation the group noticed
that there was a high percentage difference however the values were relatively close, perhaps the angle
affected it greatly as it can also be considered to be a difference.

VIII. CONCLUSION

To summarize the lab experiment, the group understood the basics of AC circuits and how they
differed from DC circuits. In addition, different components like an inductor, a capacitor, and an AC
voltage source were introduced. Like DC circuits, these components may also be connected in series and
parallel. It also has individual voltage and current depending on their connection. On the other hand, the
data gathered, measured and computed were relatively close but error is inevitable due to some reasons
such as the angle phasors. Electricity was one of the great discoveries of humanity. It provides comfort
and ease however it takes years to fully master and harness its full potential.
IX. REFERENCE

Linquip Team. (2022, June 29). AC Circuit: Application, Types and Characteristics |

Linquip. Industrial Manufacturing Blog | Linquip.

https://www.linquip.com/blog/what-is-ac-circuit/

Patel, Darshil. “Series Resistor-Capacitor Circuits | Reactance And Impedance -- Capacitive |

Electronics Textbook.” All About Circuits,

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/alternating-current/chpt-4/series-resisto r-

capacitor-circuits/. Accessed 7 December 2022.

Matsusada Precision Inc. (2021, August 12). Difference DC power and AC power| Tech.

Matsusada Precision. https://www.matsusada.com/column/dc_and_ac.html

Thompson, A. (2017, January 19). What is a DC Circuit? Definition & Types. Circuit Globe.

https://circuitglobe.com/dc-circuit.html
X. APPENDIX

Figure 4. PhET Colorado Simulation Figure 5. Wire

Figure 6. AC Voltage Figure 7. Bulb (Substitute for resistor)

Figure 8. Capacitor Figure 9. Inductor

Figure 10. Voltmeter Figure 11.Ammeter

Figure 12. Voltage Chart Figure 13. Current Chart

Figure 14. Series RC

Figure 15. Series RL

Figure 16. Series RLC

Figure 17. Series RC IPEAK

Figure 18. Series RC ERPEAK

Figure 19. Series RC ECPEAK

Figure 20. Series RL IPEAK

 Figure 21. Series RL ERPEAK

Figure 22. Series RL ELPEAK

Figure 23. Series RLC IPEAK

Figure 24. Series RLC ERPEAK

Figure 25. Series RLC ELPEAK

Figure 26. Series RLC ECPEAK