Circuits wired in series are the easiest to understand, with current flowing in one continuous, smooth direction. What are the differences and similarities between series. Use pspice to simulate and analyze a series parallel rlc circuit at discrete frequencies and over a wide range of frequencies. Calculate and measure rt for the following circuits. To study the relationship between current and voltage in dc circuits. And the more work you have a series circuit do, the more your current will decrease. In this example, r2 and r3 are in parallel with each other, and r1 is in series with the parallel combination of r 2 and r 3. For equipment, each lab station should include a dual adjustable. We will place these resistors in series and parallel circuits and measure the currents and potential differences in the circuits, comparing them to predictions based on. Series circuits series and parallel circuits siyavula. When a simple series is connected, a single pathway is formed through which current flows. When we connect the components we say that they are connected in series. The components are arranged one after another in a single pathway. Apparatus equipment to examine the voltage and current flow in a series and parallel circuit of resistors.
The current flow is expected to be uniform throughout the series circuits, but will be stronger through the smaller resistor in the parallel circuits. Pdf an electric circuit lab for general physics classes. Electric energy and capacitance demonstrations inquiry based circuit 1 properties of electric circuits inquiry based circuit activity 2 series and parallel circuits using only cck inquiry based circuit 1 properties of electric circuits. This paper describes an electric circuit lab exercise that offers various ways of comparing the equivalent electrical resistance of threeresistor circuits.
With simple series circuits, all components are connected endtoend to form only one path for the current to flow through the circuit with simple parallel circuits, all components are connected between the same two sets of electrically common points, creating multiple paths for the current to flow from one end of the battery to the other. If you have enough equipment, have two students work with 1 circuit set up, 1 battery holder, and 2 d batteries have them make a series circuit. In this lab you will work with two circuits, one series and one in parallel. Parallel circuits are a bit trickier, allowing multiple circuits to connect while operating individually as part of a larger circuit. In parallel circuits, each independent path experiences the same voltage drop. At other nodes specifically the threeway junction between r 2, r 3, and r 4 the main blue current splits into two different ones.
Physics 215 experiment 11 series and parallel circuits. Use the venn diagram to list the similarities and differences between the two circuits. Calculate i 1, i 2, i 3 and vo for the circuit shown in figure 1 for f 1khz and f 10khz. Circuit lab comparing series and parallel electrical circuits. You will be building circuits similar to the ones you will be working with in homework and exam problems. For series circuits, the voltage drop is split between the components lights, for. The lab is designed for students to work in groups of 4 or 5 and to make their own parallel and series circuit. To study current flow and voltages in series and parallel circuits.
Compare and contrast between a series and parallel circuit. Investigation of the characteristics of series and. In a series circuit connection, the number of electrical elements or components are connected in series or sequential form. Two components are in series if they share a common node and if the same. Conclusion on series and parallel circuits conclusion on. Parallel circuits are a bit trickier, allowing multiple circuits to connect while operating individually as. Comparing series and parallel circuits teachit science.
Feb 02, 2018 both types of electric circuits obey kirchhoffs voltage and current laws. Discuss and compare your points with those of your peers at your table. Compare measured and calculated voltages and current for a series parallel rlc circuit at discrete frequencies. We will now investigate how resistors add in series and parallel and how these combinations of resistors behave. What are the differences and similarities between series and. The more bulbs you put on the series circuit, the more voltage you will need. For each of the three series circuits, compare the experimental results with the resistance calculated using the rule for calculating equivalent. In a series circuit, the current anywhere in the circuit is defined by the most important and basic law of electricity, known as ohms law.
However, the circuits that they experimented with are not quite the same circuits that they use in their home. In a series circuit, there is just a single path along which electrons can flow, so a break anywhere along the path interrupts the flow of electricity in the entire circuit. As resistors are added in series to a circuit, the total resistance will. Materials list, advance preparation instructions, lab hints and tips, safety tips, rubric, worksheets, and answer key are provided. You will apply a dc voltage to the circuit and measure the current through and voltage across each resistor. Ohms law states that i vr, where i represents electrical current, v represents the voltage supplied by the source and r represents the total resistance opposition to the flow of electric current of the circuit. Emt 1150 lab professor aparicio carranza electrical circuits. A complete lab writeup includes a title, a purpose, a data section, and a conclusiondiscussion of results. A parallel circuit figure in the procedure, form branches, each of which is a separate path for the flow of electrons. In parallel circuits, the reciprocals of the resistance add. Students define, draw, and put together both series and parallel circuits then complete a venn diagram to compare and contrast.
A classic capacitor a device designed to stored electric charge can be represented by a set of parallel plates. How to compare and contrast series and parallel circuits. Apr 26, 2018 comparing the lifespan of the batteries the batteries in a parallel circuit have to produce more units of electricity than the batteries in a series circuit. For example, in figure 2, the equivalent resistance of r 4 and r 5 in parallel, 1 r 4 1 r 5 1 r 4 r 5 r 4 r 5, is in series with r 3. In this experiment you will examine the difference between series and parallel circuits. Comparing series and parallel circuits a card sort activity to help students highlight and summarise the differences between series and parallel circuits. Series and parallel ac circuits worksheet ac electric. Well then explore what happens in series and parallel circuits when. Series and parallel circuits lab report phys 2240 studocu. In a parallel circuit, each device has a connection to the power supply, independent of the other device. Where series components all have equal currents running through them, parallel components all have the same voltage drop across them series.
Note, currents are measured indirectly by measuring the voltage across an. The bulbs in parallel circuit will be brighter than the bulbs in series circuit. Comparing voltage drops and currents in parallel lab. In a series circuit, there is only one path for the current to flow therefore all parts of a series circuit have the same current. In this tutorial, well first discuss the difference between series circuits and parallel circuits, using circuits containing the most basic of components resistors and batteries to show the difference between the two configurations. This activity will allow you to explore a model circuit and decide whether these light circuits are connected in series or in parallel. In more complicated circuits you will need to generalize the notions of series and parallel. This summary lesson is designed to give students a pointbypoint comparison of the properties of inductors and capacitors two devices frequently encountered in circuits. To examine the voltage and current flow in a series and parallel circuit of resistors.
In a parallel circuit, the voltage drop across the loads are all the same but the current drawn by each load is. Its the current that divides up and flows though the various elements in proportion to their value. Thus, we can infer that the batteries in a circuit with bulbs arranged in parallel will be used up more quickly and have a shorter lifespan. Both series and parallel connection have their own distinctive characteristics. We will look at the difference between these two setups in circuits, specifically looking at the effects of adding resistors in series or in parallel and observing the change in brightness of bulbs. Under sweep configuration, set the sweeping type to decade. In a series circuit, the current flowing through the components or loads is the same but the voltage drop in each component or load is different unless they all have same resistance or impedance.
Ask students why simple circuits might not be appropriate in their house. Notice the voltmeter has leads in the com and v ports and is connected from one side of the resistors to the other side. I want students to see that there are two different ways of approaching a problem such as this. Also include here a constructive critique of the lab, stating what went well, what didnt, and how the. Insert the wires of these leads into the circuit board across the three resistors in series with the two multimeters set to voltage v and current a as shown in the figures 6 and 7. Under vertical scale, select either linear or decibel. Rlc series and parallel circuits lab free class notes online. Comparing your calculated resistance for the light bulb in the table with your previous answer using the emf of the power supply, does there seem to. In my class, we learn about the types of circuits first, then use t. What is the difference between series vs parallel circuits. This is needed in a circuit to start the electrons moving. In a series circuit, when one of the bulbs or one of the wires is left open or is broken, the entire circuit ceases. To compare the characteristics of series circuits to the characteristics of parallel circuits.
Both types of electric circuits obey kirchhoffs voltage and current laws. Series and parallel ac circuits worksheet ac electric circuits. The most common place you will encounter electric circuits is across them. The data section includes a diagram of the two circuits being compared and a documented record of procedure and observations. The current in a series circuits splits through each parallel branch such that the total current in the main circuit is equal to the sum of the currents in each branch. Physics 215 experiment 11 series and parallel circuits 45 5. In the next picture, we again see three resistors and a battery. Calculating equivalent resistances in series circuits. The objective of this laboratory experiment is to analyze a series circuit in respect to its components and characteristics. Series and parallel answer circuits are categorised as follows. The specified practical investigates the differences between the two types of circuits by observing the brightness of the.
Point out that the lights get dimmer on a series circuit, the lights are all illuminated the same on a parallel circuit. Record your observations, comparing the brightness of the two circuits you created. Construct the circuit shown in figure 1 and measure i 1, i 2, i 3 and vo. Complex describes any circuit that isnt series, parallel, or series parallel. A parallel circuit, forms branches, each of which is a separate path for the flow of electrons. Another difference in a series circuit vs a parallel circuit is that in a parallel circuit, the voltage across all legs of the circuit is the same. Also, assign reasonable values to start frequency, stop frequency. So the same current passes through every circuit element, the voltage is divided across them. We have already seen examples of series circuits in the last chapter. The current divides, with some passing through each parallel branch. How to compare and contrast series and parallel circuits quora. Calculate and measure r t, v 1, v 2, v 3, i 1, i 2, i 3, i t, and i a for the circuit in figure 2. In this lab, students are tasked with building a simple circuit, then comparing it to a series circuit, to identify the differences.
Physic lab 5 series and parallel circuits please h. Mar 23, 2011 series and parallel circuits, venn diagram 1. The amount of current through each element depends on the resistance of the element. The purpose of this lab is to practice constructing electric circuits and to observe characteristics of series and parallel circuits. With simple series circuits, all components are connected endtoend to form only one path for the current to flow through the circuit with simple parallel circuits, all components are connected between the same two sets of electrically common points, creating multiple paths for the current to flow from one end of the battery to the other rules regarding series and parallel circuits.
Answer the following questions about the circuit below. Electrical circuit diagram series and parallel circuit in both series and parallel circuits, ohms law of electricity is used for calculating the value of electrical quantities. Compare and contrast series and parallel circuits answers. Exploring the uses of series and parallel circuits. Use pspice to determine i 1, i 2, i 3, and vo in figure 1 at f 1khz and f 10khz.
In this tutorial, well first discuss the difference between series circuits and parallel circuits, using circuits containing the most basic of components resistors and. Resistors in series and parallel physics libretexts. They are then asked to build a parallel circuit, again, looking at the differences between the types. A series circuit is one in which there is only one pathway for the electric current to follow. To observe resistance, current, and voltage relationships in series and parallel combinations. Evaluate simple series and parallel circuits to predict changes to voltage, current, or resistance when simple changes are made to a circuit. How did the currents compare between the three resistors of the series circuit. Notice that in some nodes like between r 1 and r 2 the current is the same going in as at is coming out.
We will use a multimeter to measure the voltage v, resistance r, and current i of said series circuit and use the collected data to determine how a series circuit functions. Thats the key difference between series and parallel series circuits defined. Building and comparing current intensities of series, parallel, and complex circuits stephanie marsh, moose lake high school, moose lake, mn, based upon an original activity by peggy schweiger rice high school and cathy ezrailson oak ridge high school and montgomery county college. Comparing series and parallel circuits students use a battery holder, a dcell battery, a mini light socket, and a miniature lamp to build series and parallel circuits. Each of these circuits will use the same three resistors. Components, eg bulbs, may be connected in series or parallel in a circuit.
There are two types of current electricity, series and parallel. If students have access to calculators that can do complexnumber arithmetic, the complex approach is actually simpler for seriesparallel combination circuits, and it yields richer more informative results. We will now examine the concept of series and parallel circuits. Adjust the power supply until the potential difference across the resistors is 1. Both obey the superposition principle if all the components are linear. In a parallel circuit, there are two or more branches, creating separate pathways along which electrons can flow, so a break in one branch does not affect the flow of electricity in the others. Rlc series and parallel circuits lab free class notes. Materials needed include insulated wires with only the ends exposed, a battery for each group, and 2 light bulbs per group. Circuit construction kit series of three activitites inquiry based using phet in electricity unit. A series circuit is one where all the components including the battery are connected in a single, continuous loop. Comparing your calculated resistance for the light bulb in the table with your previous answer using the emf of the. Technologyengineering progression grades 910 the use of electrical circuits and electricity is critical to most technological systems in society.