You have some data for a series circuit and a parallel circuit. I will give you some "leading questions" to help you frame your formulation of Kirchoff's Rules. The questions in bold are to be answered in your lab report.
I. Series Circuit
Think about these things:
- What do you find to be true about the currents?
- How do the individual voltages compare to the battery voltage?
- How do the individual currents compare to the battery current?
Write a general rule about voltages in a series circuit.
Write a general rule about currents in a series circuit.
Calculations (you may have to wait until next class for these):
What is the total resistance of this circuit (according to the values of the resistors given in class from the stripes)?
What is the total resistance of this circuit according to calculation? (R = battery voltage divided by battery current)
II. Parallel Circuit
- What do you find to be true about the voltages?
- What do you find to be true about the currents?
- How do the individual voltages compare to the battery voltage?
- How do the individual currents compare to the battery current?
Write a general rule about voltages in a parallel circuit.
Write a general rule about currents in a parallel circuit.
Calculations (you may have to wait until next class for these):
What is the total resistance of this circuit (according to the values of the resistors given in class from the stripes)?
What is the total resistance of this circuit according to calculation? (R = battery voltage divided by battery current)
Other general questions to answer:
Did you notice if resistors got hot? Why might this be?
What exactly is Ohm's Law? Does it apply to all electrical components?
What do you think "tolerance" is, as applied to resistors. For example, if a resistor is said to have a 10% tolerance, what can that mean?
Give sources of error in this experiment.
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