Series
Series
SUBMITTED BY:
MACARAIG, JIMWEL A.
ECE – 2203
SUBMITTED TO:
MARCH 2021
Introduction
In the previous laboratory experiment, it tackles about the series RC, RL and RLC
circuits. As we all know a series circuits are defined as having only one path through which
current can flow. Also, the relationship of current and voltage in a series circuit is observed and
analyzed in the last experiment, wherein it is stated that the current that flows through each of
the components is the same or has an equal value whereas the voltage across in the circuit is the
sum of the individual voltage drops across each component. The impedance of the RC, RL and
RLC Circuit were also obtained and measured. So, for this laboratory activity, the procedures
and the experiment itself are almost the same with the last experiment however the circuit is now
designed in to a parallel RC, RL and RLC Circuit. As a matter of fact, the characteristics of a
parallel circuit, by definition, is that the same voltage appears across all parallel branches.
Hence, in preparing a phasor diagram, for any parallel circuit, the common voltage should be
used as the reference phasor. Each branch may then be considered separately and the total
current is equal to the sum of the individual currents.
A Parallel circuit has two or more paths for current to flow through wherein it has
certain characteristics and basic rules in terms of the relationship between voltage and current.
Voltage is the same or equal across each component of the parallel circuit while the sum of the
currents through each path is equal to the total current that flows from the source. Broadly
Construed, according to the website of “The Physics Classroom”, in a parallel circuit each
device is placed in its own separate branch wherein the presence of branch lines means that
there are multiple pathways by which charge can traverse and pass through the external circuit.
Each charge passing through the loop of the external circuit will pass through a single resistor
present in a single branch, when arriving at the branching location or node, a charge makes a
choice as to which branch to travel through on its journey back to the low potential terminal.
Moreover, the charge or the current in a parallel circuit divides up into separate branches in
which there can be more current in one branch than there is in another. Even so, when taken as
a whole, the total amount of current in all the branches when added together is the same as the
amount of current at locations outside the branches. In terms of its voltage, the entire voltage
drop across that resistor must match the battery voltage. It matters not whether the charge
passes through various resistor the voltage drops across the resistor that it chooses to pass
through must identical to the voltage of the battery. Hence, this laboratory experiment is mainly
focus to parallel RC and RL
circuit in which it aims to help the students to distinguish the relationship between current and
voltage in RC and RL circuit, to obtain knowledge about the given circuits and acquire the
measured and computed values of impedance in order to know the accuracy of a certain circuit.
The First part of the laboratory activity is all about Parallel RC Circuit wherein a RC
Circuits stands for a resistor-capacitor circuit. In fact, it is also referred as the RC filter or RC
network. This type of circuit is known as an electrical circuit which consist of the passive circuits
components of a resistor (R) and capacitor (C) that is driven by a voltage source or current
source. When we say passive components, these are electrical at does not generate power
nevertheless they are used to dissipates, stores, and/or releases it, these passive components
comprise resistances, capacitors, and inductors. According to Electrical4U (2020), the
relationship of voltage and current in parallel RC Circuits, the Voltage drops has the same
amount or value in which the applied voltage is equal to the voltage across the resistor and
voltage across the capacitor. Given in this equation (V = VR = VC). While, the Current is the sum
of the current through the resistor and capacitor (I = IR + Ic). On the other hand, the combination
of a resistor and inductor connected in parallel to an AC Power source is known as Parallel RL
circuit. Similar to parallel RC circuit, the voltage across each component is equal in value to the
total applied voltage and all in phase with each other, whereas the simple arithmetic sum of the
individual branch currents equals the total current where in an AC parallel circuit if only pure
resistors or only pure inductors are connected in parallel. As mentioned in one article of
Electrical Academia (2020), when a resistor and inductor are connected in parallel therefore the
two currents will be out of phase with each other. So, in this case, the total current is equal to the
vector sum rather than the arithmetic sum of the currents. As a matter of fact, the voltage and
current through a resistor are in phase however through a pure inductor the current lags the
voltage by exactly 90 degrees.
Moreover, the current in each branch of a parallel RL circuit acts independent of the currents in
the other branches, in which the current flow in each branch is regulate by the voltage across that
branch and the opposition to current flow, in the form of either resistance or inductive reactance,
controlled in the branch.
Lastly, this laboratory activity also presents the impedance of a given parallel RC and RL
Circuit. By the definition Electronics Club (Hewes, 2021) an impedance is a measure of the
overall opposition of a circuit to current. It is the amount of circuit impedes in the flow of charge
or current. Moreover, it is like resistance however it also takes into account the effects of
capacitance
and inductance. And impedance is measured in ohms (Ω). In fact, the impedance of a circuit is
more complex than resistance owing to the fact that the effects of capacitance and inductance
vary with the frequency of the current passing through the circuit. Additionally, impedance
diminishes to resistance in circuits carrying steady direct current in which the magnitude of the
impedance (Z) of a circuit is equal to the maximum value of the potential difference, or voltage
across the circuit and divided by the maximum value of the current I through the circuit. Given
by this equation Z = V/I. For the impedance of parallel RC circuit, it is stated that when
resistors and capacitors are varied together in parallel circuits hence its total impedance will have
a phase angle somewhere between 0° and -90°. And, the circuit current will have a phase angle
somewhere between 0° and +90°. Supplementarily, the impedance (Z) of a parallel RL circuit is
the total opposition to the flow of current wherein it contains the opposition (R) presented by the
resistive branch and the inductive reactance (XL) obtainable by the inductive branch. On top of
that, the impedance of parallel RL circuit is always less than the resistance or inductive reactance
of any one branch since each branch generates a separate and distinct path for current flow
therefore reducing the overall or total circuit opposition to the current flow (Sheikh, A. F of
Electrical Academia).
Therefore, this activity will help the students to enhance and explore their analyzation and
solving skills towards the given circuits, wherein they will able to measure properly the
impedance of series and RC Circuit using measuring instrument in Multisim Software in order
for us to compare the computed values to measure values. Most significantly, this laboratory
activity aims to help the students comprehend and understand different concepts in Electrical
Circuits wherein they will use and apply all the knowledge they obtain in the future.
Objectives
Materials
In this laboratory activity, the students used the Multisim which is a software device with an
interactive schematic environment to instantly visualize and analyze electric circuit behavior. It
allows the students to create, collaborate, explore and discover the behavior and properties of
circuits and electronics. The materials used in this experiment are the following:
This part of the laboratory paper describes the procedure used in the experiment that
includes the documentation such as the screen shots of the simulation. Upon performing the
experiment, step by step procedures were followed. Listed below are the following steps.
b. Upon conducting the experiment, the student measured the total current, the current
across the lamp and the current across the 5uf capacitor using the AC Ammeter. In
order to measure the total current of the AC Voltage which is to Figure 2A. Then, the
students turned on the run button to simulate the circuit. Similar procedures were done
with figure 2B and 2C. After the simulation, the students recorded and listed all the
measurement/result.
d. Using Ohm’s Law, the students computed the voltage and current for each component
and recorded it at Table 1 and 2. Using these equations.
�� =����
��
����; ���� =�� ����; ���� =����
����
��
�� =�� ����= √��2 + ����2
2
��=(220 ��)
100 ��
�� = ������ Ω
�� =
√1
�� =
�� 1��
1+ 2 √1
1 1��
��+ �� 1
�� = 1
(
√1 484
������.������
2 1 2
Ω) +( ������Ω)
���� = 357.5560256 Ω
���� = ������. ��������Ω
the value of the magnitude and phase angle of the impedance. And it was given that
the value of C is 5µF or microfarad.
Given: �� = 484 Ω
���� = 530.516477Ω
Formula: �� = �� + ������
���� = 1/2������
Solving for Z:
��′ =1
�� 1��
1+ 2�� =1
1 1��
��+ �� 1
��′ =1 (1
1
484 Ω) +(
−��������.������������Ω)
′
�� = 264.1452716 − ��240.9846197
357.5560256∠ − 42.37477652° ��
= ������. ��������∠ −
����. ��������°
Therefore,
Magnitude: ��′ = ������. ��������
Phase angle: �� = ����. ��������° ��������������
f. Lastly, the students computed the percent difference between the measured value from
the simulation and the computed value of the impedance.
Formula:
% ���������� =|����������������−����������������|
����������������× 100%
Voltages:
Measured: ���� = 219.757 ��
Computed: ���� = 220 ��
% ���������� =|220 ��−219.757 ��|
220 ��× 100%
= 0.1104545455 %
���� % ���������� = ��. �������� %
Currents:
Measured: ���� = 0.454 ��
Computed: ���� = 0.455 ��
% ���������� =|0.455 ��−0.454 ��|
0.455 ��× 100%
= 0.2197802198 %
= 1.204819277 %
= 0.6504065041 %
a. For the Parallel RL circuit, the student constructed a circuit composed of AC Power
source which was connected in series to a lamp (virtual lamp) with a voltage amount
of 220 V and a power of 100W. Also, it consists of an inductor with a value of 1.389
H (Henry).
Figure 4: Parallel RL Circuit
b. After that, the student measured the total current, the current across the lamp and the
current across the 1.389 H inductor using the AC Ammeter. In order to get the
measured total current of the AC Voltage (given in figure 5A), the students turned on
the run button to simulate the circuit, and recorded the current reading for the AC
voltage source. Same procedures were done to figure 5B and 5C. After the
simulation, the students recorded and listed all the measurement/result.
c. Using the AC Voltmeter, the students measured the voltage of the source (eT), lamp
(eR) and the inductor (eL). In order to measure the voltage across the source which is
displayed in the figure 6A, the student activated the simulation to enable read or
determined the results. Same procedures were completed with figure 6B and 6C. After
the simulation, the students recorded and listed all the measured values.
Figure 6A: Measurement of the total voltage in a Parallel RL Circuit
Figure 6A shows a circuit diagram wherein the total voltage of the source (����)
was measured using the AC voltmeter that was connected parallel to the source. Since the
given circuit is now in parallel thus the voltage is equivalent to the voltage source. As you
can see it has a 219.86 V or approximately 220 V which is obviously the same with the
given source. Furthermore, it is noticeable that once the simulation was running the
virtual lamp lights on knowing that there is current flowing through the circuit.
Figure 6C shows the simulation wherein the students obtained and measured the
voltage across the inductor (����) using the AC voltmeter that was connected parallel
to inductor. As you can see, it has a measured value of 220.371 V or 220 V and as stated
earlier since the inductor was connected parallel to the voltage source hence the value is
identical.
d. Using Ohm’s Law, the students computed the voltage and current for each component
and recorded it at Table 3 and 4. Using these equations;
�� =����
��
����; ���� =�� ����; ���� =����
����
��
�� =�� ����= √��2 + ����2
Given:
�� = 220 ��, �� = 60 ����
���������� = 220 ��, ���������� = 100 ��
�� = 1.389 ��
Solving for R:
Formula:
��
�� = ���� ��ℎ������:�� = ��
�� 2
�� = �� ( ��) =��
��
2
��ℎ��������������, �� =��
��
Using the rated value of the lamp, ���������� = 220 ��,
2
��=(220 ��)
100 ��
�� = ������ Ω
Solving for ����:
���� = 2������
= 2��(60 ����)(1.389 ��)
�� =
√1
2 �� =
1�� 2 1��
( 1) +( 2) √1
1 2 1�� 2
( ��) +( ��)
�� =
√1
2 1
484 Ω) +(
1 2
( Ω)
523.6406635
���� = 355.4284866 Ω
���� = ������. ��������Ω
���� = 0.6189712088 ��
���� = ��. ������ ��
compute the value of the magnitude and phase angle of the impedance. And it was
given that the value of L is 1.389 H or Henry.
Given: �� = 484 Ω
���� = 523.6406635 Ω
Formula: �� = �� + ������
���� = 2������
��′ =1
484 Ω+1
1
��523.6406635 Ω
% ���������� =|����������������−����������������|
����������������× 100%
For Voltages:
= 0.07318181818 %
= 0.168636363636 %
= 0.2197802198 %
= 1.428571429 %
= 0.6462035541 %
This part of the laboratory paper presents all the gathered data and results from the
simulation using Multisim Software and manual computation. Also, this includes the discussion
on each table, the initial analysis or observation during the experiment.
Table 1: Simulation and Computation Result of Voltage of the Parallel RC Circuit
Voltage (V) R C Total
Table 1 shows the voltages obtained from the Multisim and the computations. It can be
observed that the lamp (R), capacitor (C) and the total voltage have the same computed values of
220 V, this is because they are parallel with one another. For the ����, it was measured 219.757
V with 0.1105 % difference. ���� was measure at 219.765 V with 0.1068 % difference. Lastly,
the total voltage was measured at 219.785 V with 0.0977 % difference. All the measured values
were approximately 220 V, thus, there are only little discrepancies between the computed and
measured values.
Table 2 shows the currents obtained from the Multisim and the computations. The current
across the lamp (����) was measured at 0.454 A less than the computed value of 0.455 A with
0.2198 % difference. For the current across the capacitor (����), the measured was 0.42 A
greater than the computed value of 0.415 A with 1.2048 % difference. Lastly, the total current
was measured at 0.619 A greater than the computed value of 0.615 A with 0.6504 % difference.
It can be observed that the measured and computed values for the current across the capacitor has
the highest percent difference among the three components.
Table 3 shows the voltages obtained from the Multisim and the computations. It can be
observed that the lamp (R), inductor (L) and the total voltage have the same computed values of
220 V, this is because they are parallel with one another. For the ����, it was measured 219.839
V with 0.0732 % difference. ���� was measure at 220.371 V with 0.1686 % difference. Lastly,
the total voltage was measured at 219.86 V with 0.0636 % difference. All the measured values
were approximately 220 V, thus, there are only little discrepancies between the computed and
measured values.
Table 4: Simulation and Computation Result of Current of the Parallel RL Circuit
Current (A) R L Total
Table 4 shows the currents obtained from the Multisim and the computations. The current
across the lamp (����) was measured at 0.454 A less than the computed value of 0.455 A with
0.2198 % difference. For the current across the inductor (����), the measured was 0.414 A less
than the computed value of 0.420 A with 1.4286 % difference. Lastly, the total current was
measured at 0.615 A less than the computed value of 0.619 A with 0.6462 % difference. It can be
observed that the measured and computed values for the current across the inductor has the
highest percent difference among the three components.
Assessment
A. Questions
a. Do the workbench and computational values of voltages and currents agree? No, it
won’t matched due to the fact that it has a discrepancy. Theoretically, most things are
predicted prior to being experimentally observed. This is because that we had no idea
what we were looking for, we would not be able to set up an experiment to look for
something accurate. Moreover, the reason why the students attained the percent
difference between the measured and calculated value to determine its discrepancy. In
fact, as stated in the website of “Math Central” they defined the percent different is
when comparing two independent measurements (refer to workbench and manual
computation) of the same quantity to find out how much the measurements differ. It is
also used when comparing a single measurement of a quantity to the theoretical or
"currently accepted" value of that quantity in which were done by the students in this
laboratory experiment.
b. Give possible reasons for any discrepancies.
Mistakes are not necessarily due to errors. The potential for error can be
accomplished by a variety of methods such as the Spontaneous and systematic are the
common reasons. Random mistake, due to chance, occurs. When a calculation is
made, there is often some variability. A random error can be caused by small
fluctuations in the instrument, the environment, or the reading of a measurement,
which do not all cause the same error. Furthermore, the quality of the outcome is a
major distinction between experimental and theoretical values. This is due to the fact
that we are measuring in Multisim software. Also, when we done our simulation, if
we continue to run the software the measured values in the software was changing so
we capture it randomly. A second reason that experimental and theoretical
discrepancies occur is because within the real world, many more variables will affect
our experiment compared to a software that was designed to has an exact value
B. Circuit Design
a. Design a parallel RC circuit which consists of capacitor C and A 220 V, 100 W. The
total impedance of the circuit is 453.6712 ohms. Find the value of R and C.
���� = 453.6712 Ω
Solve for: Resistance (��)
Capacitance (C)
Formula: �� =��2��
=
���� √1
2
(
1�� 2 1
1) −( ��) ; �� =1
2��������
Solving for R:
�� =��2��
=(220 ��)2
100 ��
�� = ������ Ω
Solving for C:
=
���� √1
1�� 2 1 2
( 1) −( ��)
=
√1
2 1
453.6712 Ω) − (
1 2
( 484 Ω)
���� = 1302.068012 Ω
�� =1
2��������
=1
2��(60 ����)(1302.068012 Ω)
C. Problems
a. A coil having an impedance of 10+j5 is connected in parallel with a series combination
of a variable resistance R and a capacitor having a reactance of 8 ohms. The
combination is connected across a 24 V AC source. Determine the total current drawn
if R is adjusted in order to bring the total pf of the circuit to unity.
Given:
�� = 10 + j5 Ω
���� = 8 ��
���� = 24 V
Required:
Total Current (����)
Formula Needed:
Power Factor = cos θ
1 1
��= ��1+ ��1
1
T
IT =E Z= ETγ
Solution:
cos θ = 1
θ = cos−1 1
θ = 0°
���� = −��8 Ω
For power factor is unity, the equation is equal to 0,
�� + 10 − ��3= 0
�� + 10 − ��3= 0
10�� + 40 − ��80 + ��5��
�� + 10 − ��3= 0
10�� + 40 − ��80 + ��5��
�� + 10 − ��3×�� + 10 + ��3
�� + 10 + ��3= 0
3(10�� + 40) + (5�� − 80)(�� + 10)
(�� + 10)2 − 9= 0
�� = 11.66190379 Ω
For Admittance,
1 1
��= ��1+ ��1
1
��=1
1
10 + j5 Ω+1
11.6619 − ��8 Ω
1
T
IT =E Z= ETγ
Given: �� = 60 ����
���� = 0 + ��8 Ω
���� = 0 − ��2 Ω
���� = 5 + ��0 Ω
���� =1
2���������� = 2������
1
���� =
��
2������������ = ��
2����
1
���� =
8Ω
2��(60 ����)(2 Ω)���� =
2��(60 ����)
���� = ��. ������������������ ���� ���� = ����.
���������������� ����
���� =1
2��√����
���� =1
2��√(21.22065908 ����)(1.326291192 ����)
Conclusion
To begin with, this laboratory activity helps the students to distinguish and analyzed the
parallel RC and RL circuits as well as the relationship between their currents and voltages. Based
on the result from the simulation and manual computation, it is noticeable that there is a little
discrepancy between the values, which are closed to what we expected. In addition, Ohm’s Law
still applies in obtaining the required value, just as it has in other circuits. The relationship
between voltage and current in a given parallel RC and RL Circuit was presented and verified
through this experiment. Since, the circuit was connected in parallel therefore the voltage was the
same for all components which has a value of 220 V. Nevertheless, in terms of its currents, the
measured and calculated values were different to each other because according to the principle,
the total current in a parallel circuit is equal to the sum of the individual branch currents. It is
shown from the simulation and tables above that the current on each component of parallel RL
and RC Circuit are 0.45 A or approximately 0.5 A (across the lamp or resistor) and 0.42 A
(across C and L). Also, for the parallel RC Circuit, the current through the resistor or the lamp
(R) is not the same as the current through capacitor (C) in which IR is in phase with voltage but IC
leads V by 90°. On the other hand, for the parallel RL Circuits, the coil or inductor (L) opposes
any change in current through itself, so its current lags behind its voltage by 90°. To summarize
it, in a pure capacitor the current leads the voltage by 90 degrees, while in a pure inductor the
current lags the voltage by 90 degrees. In addition, for AC circuits where inductive and
capacitive reactance or impedances are a significant element in the calculations in order to know
the accuracy of a specific circuit,
In addition, through this laboratory activity the students were able to accomplished all the
objectives wherein they also obtained and computed all the needed requirement such as the
currents, voltages and impedance in the given parallel circuit, however as what the students
expected, there were small inconsistencies between the results/outcomes from the simulation and
manual computation since the simulation may not always produce accurate results due to the fact
that it works on logical manipulation. Whereas, the analytical results/manual computations were
considered as accurate as these are obtained by proven mathematical equations. Moreover, there
were factors that should be considered especially in conducting experiments. The environment
and what materials the components were made can change the output of the given circuit.
Furthermore, as shown from the tables above, the students measured the percent
difference wherein it is used in comparing two experimental results that were obtained using two
different methods, in which this laboratory activity used the simulation and manual computation.
In fact, the purpose of calculating the percent difference is to analyze how close the measured
value is to an actual value or to find out how much the measurements differ. Therefore, based
from the tables 1 and 3 (refer to results of measured and computed voltages of parallel RC and
RL circuit), for the current across the lamp (resistor) they have different percent errors which are
0.01105 % and
0.0732 % respectively. For the voltage across the capacitor, it has a 0.1068 % and for the
inductor, the calculated percent difference is 0.1686 %. In terms of the percent difference
between the measured and computed value of current (refers to table 2 and 4), for the current
across the lamp or resistor both of them have the same percent difference of 0.2198 % and for the
current across capacitor and inductor, they have a percent difference of 1.2048 % and 1.4286 %
respectively.
Bibliography
Electrical4U (2020), RC Circuit Analysis: Series, Parallel, Equations & Transfer Function.
Hewes, J. (2021), Electronics club, Impedance and Reactance. Retrieved on March 7, 2021 from
https://electronicsclub.info/impedance.htm
Sheikh, A. F (nd), Electrical Academia: Parallel RL Circuits. Retrieved on March 7, 2021 from
https://electricalacademia.com/basic-electrical/parallel-rl-circuit/
The Physics Classroom (nd), Parallel Circuits. Retrieved on March 6, 2020 from
https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circuits/Lesson-4/Parallel-Circuits