Simple Electrical Circuits Lab Online

Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to examine how Ohm’s Law can be applied to simple resistors
arranged in simple electrical circuits.

Theory
Ohm’s Law tells us that resistance of an object is proportional to the voltage applied to it, and
inversely proportional to the induced current passing through it.

∆𝑉
𝑅=
𝑖

When multiple resistors are arranged in series and a steady stream direct current is flowing
through them we have three rules related to the current, the voltage, and the resistance of all
of those resistors together. Those three rules are as follows:

1. For resistors in series the current passing through each of them is the same.

𝑖 = 𝑖𝑗 = 𝑖1 , 𝑖2 , 𝑖3 …

2. For resistors in series the voltage being applied to all of them is the sum of the voltage
passing over all of them
𝑛

∆𝑉 = ∑ ∆𝑉𝑗 = ∆𝑉1 + ∆𝑉2 + ∆𝑉3 + ⋯

𝑗

3. For resistors in series the equivalent resistance of all of them together is just the sum of
all of their resistance.

𝑅𝑒𝑞 = ∑ 𝑅𝑗 = 𝑅1 + 𝑅2 + 𝑅3 + ⋯
𝑗

When multiple resistors are arranged in parallel and a steady stream direct current is flowing
through them we have three rules related to the current, the voltage, and the resistance of all
of those resistors together. Those three rules are as follows:

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 1. For resistors in parallel the total current passing through all of them is the sum of
the current passing through each of them.
𝑛

𝑖 = ∑ 𝑖𝑗 = 𝑖1 + 𝑖2 + 𝑖3 + ⋯
𝑗
2. For resistors in parallel the voltage passing over each of them is the same.

∆𝑉 = ∆𝑉𝑗 = ∆𝑉1 , ∆𝑉2 , ∆𝑉3 , …

3. For resistors in parallel the inverse of the equivalent resistance of all of them is the
sum of the inverses of all of them.
𝑛
1 1 1 1 1
=∑ = + + +⋯
𝑅𝑒𝑞 𝑅𝑗 𝑅1 𝑅2 𝑅3
𝑗

When using these two sets of equations it can be best to draw simple circuit diagrams to help
determine which circuit components are in series with each other, and which are parallel to
each other. Let us start by examining two basic circuit component symbols.

1. A Potential Difference Source - Power supply, battery, fuel cell, or anything that will
induce a potential difference to exist in the circuit. The circuit diagram symbol for such a
device is two uneven parallel lines.

The longer line represents the positive side of the Voltage Source, and the shorter line its
negative side. The lines pointing out of both sides represent the wires that will connect the
Voltage Source to the rest of the circuit.

2. Resistors – A component that hinders the flow of current through the circuit. Resistors
are represented by few sharp jagged lines right in row.

This is drawn with the connecting wires coming out of both ends.

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Setup Part 1: Resistors in Series
1. Go to the following website:
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-dc-virtual-lab
2. You should now see the following:

3. Click the down arrow to download the software. Once finished, you should see the following:

4. Near the bottom left of the screen, click on the Potential Difference symbol.

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 5. On the right side of the screen just below the Voltmeter & Ammeter, click the Green/White Plus
symbol next to Advanced.
6. In the drop-down menu for Advanced, make sure that Wire Resistivity and Battery Resistance
are both set to ‘tiny’, then click the Red/Minus to close the drop-down menu.
7. In the White Box at the top right of your screen make sure “Show Current” is checked, select
“Conventional”, make sure “Labels” is checked, and make sure that “Values” is checked.

Procedure Part 1
1. On the Left side of your screen you will see a white box with the symbols of various basic circuit
components. You will ‘Click and Drag” the various components to build simple circuit boards.
2. On the right side of your screen, and about a third of the way from the top you will see a white
box with a voltmeter and an ammeter. You will ‘insert’ these instruments into the circuit you
build in order to measure the voltage and the current.
3. Build the following circuit of three resistors in series with each other: (You can use the plus and
minus at the bottom of the left side of your screen to give yourself more room to work with if
you need it.)

4. Click on the Potential Difference source (Battery) and set it to 100 V.

5. Click on each of the resistors to set its resistance. Set R1 = 10.0 Ohms, R2 = 50.0 Ohms, and R3 =
100.0 Ohms.
6. Read off the currents for each ammeter in front of each resistor and record the currents for
each resistor in Table 1.
7. Using the voltage meter, measure the voltage for each resistor and record those voltages in
Table 1.
a. Remember that the voltmeter probes have to go on opposite ends of the resistor to get
a reading.

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 b. If you get a negative voltage just record the absolute value. [This just means you put the
positive probe (red) at the negative end of the resistor, and the negative probe (black)
at the positive end of the resistor.]

Setup Part 2: Resistors in Parallel

1. Use the orange button in the bottom right of your screen to reset the simulator.
a. Your screen should now look like the following:

2. Near the bottom left of the screen, click on the Potential Difference symbol.
3. On the right side of the screen just below the Voltmeter & Ammeter, click the Green/Plus
symbol next to Advanced.
4. In the drop-down menu for Advanced, make sure that Wire Resistivity and Battery Resistance
are both set to ‘tiny’, then click the Red/Minus to close the drop-down menu.
5. In the White Box at the top right of your screen make sure “Show Current” is checked, select
“Conventional”, make sure “Labels” is checked, and make sure that “Values” is checked.

Procedure Part 2: Resistors in parallel

1. Build the following circuit of three resistors in parallel with each other: (You can use the plus and
minus at the bottom of the left side of your screen to give yourself more room to work with if
you need it.)

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 2. Set the Potential Difference (Battery) to 50.0 V, and the resistors as follows,
R1 = 10 Ohms, R2 = 50.0 Ohms, and R3 = 100.0 Ohms.
3. Record the currents for each resistor in Table 2. Using the voltmeter, measure the voltage for
each resistor, and then record your measurements in Table 2.

Setup Part 3: Resistors in a mix of series and parallel

1. Use the orange button in the bottom right of your screen to rest the simulator.
a. Your screen should now look like the following:

2. Near the bottom left of the screen, click on the Potential Difference symbol.

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 3. On the right side of the screen just below the Voltmeter & Ammeter, click the Green/Plus
symbol next to Advanced.
4. In the drop-down menu for Advanced, make sure that Wire Resistivity and Battery Resistance
are both set to ‘tiny’, then click the Red/Minus to close the drop-down menu.
5. In the White Box at the top right of your screen make sure “Show Current” is checked, select
“Conventional”, make sure “Labels” is checked, and make sure that “Values” is checked.

Procedure Part 3: Resistors in a Mix of Series and Parallel

6. Build the following circuit: (You can use the plus and minus at the bottom of the left side of your
screen to give yourself more room to work with if you need it.)

7. Set the Potential Difference (Battery) to 50.0 V, and the resistors as follows,
R1 = 10 Ohms, R2 = 25.0 Ohms, R3 = 40.0 Ohms, and R4 = 100.0 Ohms.
8. Record the currents for each resistor in Table 3. Using the voltmeter, measure the voltage for
each resistor, and then record your measurements in Table 3.

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 Analysis of Simple Electrical Circuits Lab Online

Name______________________________________________

Course/Section_______________________________________

Instructor____________________________________________

For each of the three simple circuit boards you will need to calculate the total resistance, Req, for the
entire circuit board by using the measured resistances of each of the resistors, and the equations given
to you in the theory section. Use the applied voltage for each setup as the theoretical voltage, Vth, for
the entire circuit board, to calculate the theoretical current, ith, for the entire circuit board.
Table 1(Resistors in Series)
R(Ω) iex(A) Vex(V) ith(A) Vth(V) % Error i % Error V
Req 160 .62 100 .625 100 0.8
10Ω 10 .62 6.25 .625 6.25 0.8 0
50Ω 50 .62 31.25 .625 31.25 0.8 0
100Ω 100 .62 62.50 .625 62.50 0.8 0
1. Using the equations for resistors in series calculate the theoretical voltages, and
currents for each of the resistors, and the entire circuit. Use the measured values of the
resistance in your calculations. Then calculate the % errors. Show work. (20 points)

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 2. According to our equations, what should be the relationship between the total current
and the currents passing through each resistor? Does your data show this relationship?
(5 points)
According to the equations in a series circuit, the current passing through each resistor
should be the same and equal to the total amount. According to my data, both currents
are similar.

3. According to our equations, what should be the relationship between the total voltage
and the voltages passing over each resistor? Does your data show this relationship?(5
points)
The total voltage across a series of circuits should be the sum of the voltages across
each resistor. According to the data when adding the voltages it comes up to 100 V.

Table 2(Resistors in Parallel)

R(Ω) iex(A) Vex(V) ith(A) Vth(V) % Error i % Error V
Req 7.69 6.50 50.00 6.50 50 0
10Ω 10 5.00 50.00 5.00 50 0 0
50Ω 50 1.00 50.00 1.00 50 0 0
100Ω 100 0.50 50.00 0.50 50 0 0
4. Using the equations for resistors in parallel calculate the theoretical voltages, and
currents for each of the resistors, and the entire circuit. Use the measured values of the
resistance in your calculations. Then calculate the % errors. Show work (20 points)

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 5. According to our equations what should be the relationship between the total current
and the currents passing through each resistor? Does your data show this relationship?
(10 points)

In a parallel circuit, the total current is the sum of the currents through each resistor.
According to my data, the sum of the currents comes up to the same as the theoretical
sum.

6. According to our equations what should be the relationship between the total voltage
and the voltages passing over each resistor? Does your data show this relationship?
(10 points)
The relationship in a parallel circuit is that the voltage across each resistor is equal to
the voltage applied across the circuit. According to my data, the measured voltage cross
for each is 50 which is consistent with the total applied.

Table 3(Resistors in both Series and Parallel)

R(Ω) iex(A) Vex(V) ith(A) Vth(V) % Error i % Error V
Req
10Ω 0.79 7.87
25Ω 0.79 19.66
40Ω 0.56 22.47
100Ω 0.22 22.47

7. Using the equations for resistors in series and in parallel, calculate the theoretical
voltages and currents for each of the resistors, and the entire circuit. Use the measured

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 values of resistance in your calculations, then calculate the % errors. Show work. (20
points)

8. Do the results of the experiment agree with theoretical predictions for resistors in series and
parallel? Explain your answer. (10 points)

According to my results, there is a lot of differences between the theoretical and

experimental but it could be due to a problem setting up the experiment or calculation
errors.

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