North South University

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

LAB REPORT
Course Name: Electrical Circuits Lab (141)
Section: 12
Experiment Number: Lab-02

Experiment Name: KCL, Current Divider Rule with Parallel and Ladder Circuit.

Experiment Date: 19.02.2022

Report Submission Date: 26.02.2022
Group Number: 06

Student Name:
1. Nafis Ismam
2. S m Tahmin Rahman
3. Tasfia Anan
4. Mohammad Towfiqul Islam
Score
Student ID:
1. 2012052042
2. 2011852642
3. 2013156642
4. 2011251042

Remarks:

Experiment Name: KCL, Current Divider Rule with Parallel and Ladder Circuit.

Objectives of Experiment:

• Learn how to connect a parallel circuit on a breadboard.

• Validate the current divider rules.

• Verify Kirchhoff’s current law.

• Verify KCL and KVL in ladder circuit.

List of Equipment for Experiment:

• Trainer board
• Resistors (1K, 3.3 KΩ, 4.7 KΩ, 5.6K, 10K)
• Digital Multimeter (DMM)
• Connecting Wire
Theory:

Ohm’s Law: At constant temperature the current flowing through a conductor is directly
proportional to the voltage across its end. According to ohm's the current I in electrical circuit is
proportional to the applied voltage V and inversely proportional to the resister R.

I=V/R

Kirchhoff’s current law: The sum of the currents entering an area equals to the sum of the
currents leaving the area.

Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law: Kirchhoff’s voltage law states that the algebraic sum of the potential

rise and drop around a closed loop is always equal to zero. That means that the sum of voltage

drops are always equal to the sum of voltage rise.

Current divider: The current divider rule states that for two parallel elements of equal value, the
current will be divided equally. On the other hand, parallel elements with different values, the
current will be divided and the smaller the resistance the greater the share of input current. The
current will split with a ratio equal to the inverse of the resistor values.

Ix = (Is R)/Rx

Where,

Ix = Current through the parallel branch of Rx

R = Equivalent resistance of the circuit

Is = Total current flow

Rx = Resistance across the particular resistor

Voltage divider rule: The Voltage divider rule states that the voltage across a resistor in a

series circuit is equal to the value of that resistor times the total impressed voltage across the

series elements divided by the total resistance of the series elements.

Vx = (Rx E) / R

Where,

Vx = Voltage across the particular resistor

Rx = Resistance across the particular resistor

E = Source voltage

R = Equivalent resistance of the circuit

Resistor’s Color code: Resistors use color bands to identify the value of resistance of the

resistor and its percentage of tolerance within the physical size of the resistor indicating its

voltage rating. Usually, there is 1 color band on the right and 3 on the left. The right one is the

tolerance band and the second from the left is the multiplier band.

Breadboard: A breadboard is a rectangular plastic board with a bunch of tiny holes in it. These

holes are used to insert the terminal of the electric components which makes solderless

connections. With the wires inside the board. It is used to build and test circuits quickly before

finalizing any circuit design. Never connect two wires or DMM on the same column because it

will cause a short circuit.

DMM: A digital multimeter (DMM) is a test tool used to measure two or more electrical values
principally voltage (V), current(A) and resistance (R). It's a standard diagnostic tool for
technicians in the electrical/electronic industry.

Percentage error: Whenever we measure something physical and theoretical, an error may

happen. This is the difference between the approximate value and the exact value. We can say,

% error = (Theoretical Value - Experimental Value) * 100 / Theoretical Value

Trainer Board: A digital electronic trainer board is a device that can be used to learn, teach, and
test digital electronic circuits. It is also intended to provide students with the ability to easily
build, change, and troubleshoot various circuits, and it is excellent for academicians to utilize as
a learning assistance tool. Traditional electrical trainer boards are made out of a breadboard as
the main component for circuit connection, as well as several other elements such as an LED
display and switches.
Circuit Diagram:

Circuit 1:
Circuit 2:
Data Collection

Lab 2
Group No. ____6____
Instructor’s Signature __________

Table 1:

Resistance using colour coding Resistance % Error

using DMM
Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 Band 4 Resistance ±
tol

1 KΩ

3.3 KΩ

4.7 KΩ

5.6 KΩ

10 KΩ

Table 2:

Experimental readings Theoretical values

I S I R1 I R2 I R3 I S I R1 I R2 I R3

4.10 mA 1.79 mA 1.26 mA 1.05 mA 4.10 mA 1.79 mA 1.26 mA 1.05 mA

% Error

IS IR1 IR2 IR3

0.00 % 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%

Table 3:

IS 4.10 mA Is Total Current equal to sum individual

current?

Sum of individual (1.79 mA + 1.26 mA + 1.05 mA) = Yes

Current
4.10 mA
(I + I + I )
R1 R1 R3

Table 4:

Experimental Req Theoretical Req % Error

2.44 KΩ 2.44 KΩ 0.00%

Circuit 2

Table 5:

Component Voltage Current

E 12.0 V 2.54 mA

R1 2.54 V 2.54 mA

R2 9.46 V 0.946 mA

R3 7.48 V 1.59 mA

R4 1.98 V 0.601 mA

R5 0.991 V 0.991 mA

R6 0.991 V 0.991 mA
Report
1. State the current division rule.

Ans: The current divider rule states that for two parallel elements of equal value, the current will
be divided equally. On the other hand, parallel elements with different values, the current will be
divided and the smaller the resistance the greater the share of input current. The current will split
with a ratio equal to the inverse of the resistor values.

2. State the Kirchhoff’s current law (KCL).

Ans: Kirchhoff’s current law (KCL) states that the algebraic sum of the currents entering and
leaving an area, system or junction is zero. Similarly, we can also say that the sum of the currents
entering an area, system, or junction must be equal to the sum of the currents leaving the area,
system or junction.

3. With the experimental data, verify Kirchhoff’s voltage law within each independent
closed loop of the circuit.

Ans: Loop 1
E = V1 + V2
12 V = 2.538V + 9.462V
12 V = 12 V

This verifies Kirchhoff’s voltage law as the algebraic sum of all the potential differences around
the loop is equal to zero.
4. With the experimental data, verify Kirchhoff’s current law at nodes a and b
of the circuit.
Ans:
5. Showing all steps, calculate the theoretical values in Table 2. Compare
theoretical values to your experimental values and explain whether your
circuit follows KCL or not.

Ans:
6. Showing all the steps, theoretically calculate Req. Compare with the
experimental value.

Ans:
7. Calculate all the theoretical values for Table 5. Show all steps.
Ans:
Result Analysis & Discussion:

In this lab, we started off with the introduction of KCL and ladder circuit. A ladder
circuit is a circuit that is composed of series and parallel connections. KCL states
that the sum of the current entering a node is equal to the sum of the current
leaving that particular node. In a parallel circuit, the voltage across the parallel
elements is the same, but the current gets divided depending on the value of the
parallel elements. For parallel elements with different values, the greater the
resistance, the smaller the share of input current, and for two parallel elements of
equal value, the current gets divided equally.

From this experiment, we were able to verify Kirchhoff’s Current Law and also
looked at the current divider rule in parallel and ladder circuits. As the experiment
was carried out in Multisim, we didn’t find any percentage errors for the parallel
circuit calculations. If the experiment was carried out in real life, there might have
been some errors due to lose connections or faulty apparatus but overall, we can
verify the KCL and KVL for the circuits from the data. Finally, we can say that the
data from the experiments were just as we expected and in accordance with the
theoretical knowledge.
Table of Contribution:

Name ID Contribution

1. Mohammad 2011251042 Discussion, Theory, Question

Answer
Towfiqul Islam

2. Tasfia Anan 2013156642 Theory, Question Answer

3. Nafis Ismam 2012052042 Tables, Circuits, List of

Equipment, Objectives, Question
Answer

4. S m Tahmin Rahman 2011852642 Question Answer, Tables