Title :Familiarizing with the basic DC circuit terms & concepts.

Introduction to
Laboratory Equipment.

Abstract:
In this experiment the basic equipment like resistors, trainer board, multi meter etc. was
observed and their operation were studied. Also some basic laws like Ohm’s law, the
definition of voltage and current were studied and their operation was verified with the
basic equipment.

Introduction:
The main objective of this experiment was to verify the ohms law. In doing so, followings
were performed:
a) To design an electrical circuit with relevant parameters and sources.
b) To set up the circuit with appropriate connections, sources, and instruments.
c) To compare the measured value with the theoretical estimated value.
d) To find the reason for error in result, and to draw conclusion on how
to overcome.

Theory and Methodology:

Ohm’s Law: Ohm’s Law deals with the relationship between voltage and current in an
ideal conductor. This relationship states that:

At fixed temperature in an electrical circuit, the current passing through a conductor

between two points is proportional to the potential difference (i.e. voltage drop or
voltage) across the two points, and inversely proportional to the resistance between
them. In mathematical terms, ths is written as:

V = IR

Where I is the current in amperes, V is the potential difference in volts and R is a

constant measured in ohm’s, called the resistor. The potential difference is also known
as the voltage drop and is sometime denoted by E or U instead of V.

Current: The amount of electric current through some surface, a section through a
copper conductor, is defined as the amount of electric charge flowing through that
surface over time. If Q is the amount of charge that passed through the surface in the
time T, then the average current I is :

I=Q/T

Voltage: Voltage is the difference of electrical potential between two points of an

electrical or electronics circuit, express in volts. It measures the potential energy of an
electric field to cause an electric current in an electrical conductor. Depending on the
difference of electrical potential it is called extra low voltage, low voltage, high voltage,
extra high voltage.

Ammeter: Ammeter is a device that is used to measure the current level of the circuit.

Voltmeter: Voltmeter is a device that is used to measure the voltage difference

between two points. The potential difference can be measured by simply connecting the
leads of the across the two points.
Figure:

a R1 b
1.20k
c
V
10 V R2 2.183k

Figure: 1

Pre-Lab Homework:

Some basic idea of Electricity:

CURRENT: denoted by I and measured in amperes. Current flows

from negatively charged material to positively charged material and is essentially
the number of electrons per second that are carried through a conductor. Current
is measured in units of amps. 1 amp = 1 coulomb/sec = 6.2 x 1018 electrons per
second!

VOLTAGE: Potential difference between a negatively charged object and a

positively charged one (like two terminals on a battery). Potential difference is
measured in units of Volts (V )which represents the work done per unit charge to
move electrons between the positive and negative terminals. If a potential
difference exists, then energy can be extracted.

The amount of stored energy is given by:

E = qV

Where, V is the voltage or electric potential of some system. The units of voltage
or Volts: 1 Volt = 1 Joule/Coulomb

RESISTANCE: Property of material that helps prevent the flow of electrons in it.
Metals are good conductors due to low resistance. Wood is a poor conductor due
to high resistance. Resistance, R , is measured in ohms and depends upon both
the type of material and its size. Long wires have more resistance than short
wires; thin wires have more resistance than thick wires. R is also temperature
dependent
Apparatus:
1. Trainer Board
2. Voltmeter
3. Ammeter
4. AVO meter or Multi meter
5. DC source
6. Resistors

Precautions:

1.When measuring Voltage, the multi meter was connected two points in a circuit in
order to obtain a good reading. While measuring Voltage, caution was taken to not
touching the bare probe tips together, as that would create short-circuit.

2.Resistance was not tested or read for continuity with a multi meter on a circuit which
was energized.

3.While measuring current the multi meter was connected in a circuit so the electrons
could flow through the meter.

4.Multi meter had practically no resistance between their leads. That was intended to
allow electrons to flow through the meter with the latest possible difficulty. Otherwise the
meter would add extra resistance in the circuit, which affected the current.

Experimental Procedure:

1. The Value of the supplied resistors was calculated using the color code
chart theoretically. Then the value was measured using a multi meter and
the following table:

Resistor Value using color code chart Value using Multi meter
 R1. R-R-R-G  22×102±5%  21.83×102
R2. Br-Gre-R-G 15×102±5% 15.33×102
R3. Br-R-R-G 12×102±5% 12×102
R4. Or-Or-R-G 33×102±5% 33.73×102
R5. Br-Bl-Or-G 10×102±5% 99.9×102
 2. The following circuit was constructed. Theoretically RT(Total Resistance),
I(Total Current), Vab, Vcd, Va and vb was calculated.

Simulation and Measurement:

Simulation

a R1 b
1.20k
c
V
10 V R2 2.183k

Table

Theoretical Multi meter

E Calculations readings

I Vab Vcd Va Vb I Vab Vcd Va Vb

RT

A V V V V A V V V V

10V 3.383 2.956 3.3547 6.45 10 4.653 2.806 3.564 6.48 10.05 6.48
Calculation:

RT = R1 + R2 = 1.20 + 2.183 = 3.383 KΩ

I = V/R = 10 / 3.383 = 2.956 Amp

Vab = I×Rab= 2.956 × 1.20 = 3.3547 V

Vcd =I×Rcd=2.956 × 2.183 = 6.45 V

Va = Vab + Vb.........................(i)

Vc = Vcd + Vd

=6.45 +0 [Vd=0]

=6.45 V

Since, Vb= Vc

So, Vb= 6.45 V

So from equ (i),

Va = Vab + Vb= 3.547 + 6.45=10 V

Result:
RT = 3.383 KΩ

I= 2.956 Amp

Vab =3.3547 V

Vcd= 6.45 V

Va = 10 V

Vb= 6.45 V
Answer of the Questions:
1.Show the difference between your theoretical value and Multi meter Value
Ans:

Theoretical Calculations:

RT = R1 + R2 = 1.20 + 2.183 = 3.383 KΩ

I = V/R = 10 / 3.383 = 2.956 Amp

Vab = I×Rab= 2.956 × 1.20 = 3.3547 V

Vcd =I×Rcd=2.956 × 2.183 = 6.45 V

Va = Vab + Vb.........................(i)

Vc = Vcd + Vd

=6.45 +0 [Vd=0]

=6.45 V

Since, Vb= Vc

So, Vb= 6.45 V

So from equ (i),

Va = Vab + Vb= 3.547 + 6.45=10 V

Multi meter readings:

I = 2.806 A

Vab = 3.564 V

Vcd = 6.48 V

Va = 10.05 V

Vb = 6.48 V
2.Do you have difference between in these values? If you have, then explain the
reason.
Ans: Yes, I have. Because of the tolerance of the resistance and taking smaller value.
3.Why an ammeter can be damaged if it is connected in parallel to the load resistor?
Ans: An ammeter has a tolerance almost zero. When it is connected in parallel, huge
current enter into the ammeter and for this it could be damaged.

Discussion:
1. The trainer board and the multimeter was checked before the start of the
experiment.
2. The resistor was placed properly according to the figure.
3. The value of the voltage was increased gradually as applying a large voltage can
damage the resistors.
4. During the experiment some error was taken place due to the fault of voltage
source. It was solved with the help of course instructor.
5. Finally all the data was placed in the data table. For the given equation, a result
was obtained.

Conclusions:
In this experiment the basic idea of DC terms and circuits was observed and verified
with specific theory. Also we come to know how to measure the voltages and current
using multimeter. So the experiment is successful .

Reference :
[1]http://zebu.uoregon.edu/disted/ph162/lec04.html

[2]Robert L. Boylestad, “ Introductory Circuit Analysis ‘’ , Pearson , Twelfth

Edition ,pp#101-109 ,ISBN 978-81-317-6476-3.