Lab 3 Breadboard and Ohms Law

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PHYS 162

Lab 3: Introduction to Basic Circuits and Resistors

Abstract

The 19th century has brought many advances in understanding electrical concepts, so much so
that it was named the “age of electricity”. One of those leaps forward was made by a German
physicist named Georg Simon Ohm. In this lab you will attempt to prove Ohm’s Law and
learn how to build basic circuits.

Introduction

Instead of using thin wires as Ohm did in his original experiment, you will replicate his
results using small cylindrical ceramic resistors. Resistors are conducting devices made from
materials, which satisfy Ohm’s Law. There are three types of resistors based on their
function: 1) fixed resistance, 2) variable resistance (potentiometer, rheostat) and 3) variable
resistance based on conditions (thermistor, photoresistor, strain gauge, etc.). Usually when the
term resistor is used, it refers to a fixed resistance type resistor, like the one you will be using
today. If the potential difference across a resistor is set to 1 volt (V), and a current of 1
ampere (A) is measured through it, then its resistance, R, is determined to be 1 ohm (Ω).

The main purpose of a fixed resistor is to limit current and/or voltage. For example, if we
have a 5 V battery and a 2.5 V LED diode that requires 200 mA current, we will need a
resistor that will “take” 2.5 V and set the current to 200 mA. For simplicity, we assume that
neither the battery nor the LED has an internal resistance. Using Ohm’s Law, we get the
resistance of the resistor that must be added for the LED to work properly with this battery
using the following relationship:

2.5 V
R= 0.2 A
= 12.5 Ω.

You will notice colored bands on the resistors. These bands form a code that indicates the
resistance value of a given resistor. The last page of this manual has the color code table that
can be used to determine the resistance value of any given resistor with colored bands. If for
some reason you plan to spend a lot of your time in the future building circuits, then it would
be helpful to memorize the color code, otherwise it’s just a neat trick that is only used by a
few people.
Combinations of Resistors
Let’s say you need a 150 Ω resistor for your Arduino circuit. You have many 200 Ω and 100
Ω resistors but no 150 Ω ones. The store is closed and you have to submit this project
tomorrow with the circuit not working without a 150 Ω resistor. What can you do? Well, as
you guessed, resistors can be combined in simple arrangements that increase or decrease the
overall resistance of the combination. There are 2 types of connections: series and parallel.
Figure 1 (image on the left) illustrates two resistors connected in series and Figure 1 (image
on the right) shows the resistors in a parallel connection.

Figure 1: Schematic illustration of series (left) and parallel (right) connection of two resistors

In these figures, the two conditions of a working circuit are met:

1. For charges to move in a conductor, there must be a potential difference across the
conductor.
2. For charges to move through a circuit, there must be a complete path leading out of
and back to the source of EMF ( V AB in Figure 1).

So now, we need to find out how connecting two resistors in series and in parallel changes the
total resistance, Rtotal. You should know this formula from high school, but let’s derive it here
to see how it works. What is the voltage in R1 and R2 in Figure 1 left and 1 right? What about
the electrical current in R1 and R2 in Figure 1 left and right? Write the Ohm’s Law formula
for each circuit and then express Rseries and Rparallel in terms of R1 and R2. Next, sketch the
combination of resistors you would use to obtain Rtotal of 150 Ω, while using as few resistors
as possible.

Speaking of series and parallel connections, an ammeter is a device that is used to measure
current. When we connect something to a circuit it affects the voltage and current distribution
on other elements. In that view, an ammeter can be treated as a conducting element with near
zero resistance, and it should always be connected to the measured element in series. What
will happen if an ammeter is connected in parallel to a circuit?
In the same way, a voltmeter can be considered an element with near infinite resistance.
When you connect it to a circuit, no current is passing through the voltmeter, so it does not
affect the current in other elements. The final step of learning how to make an electrical
circuit is to know how a breadboard works.

Breadboard
A Breadboard is a simple tool made of aluminum and plastic that is used to make temporary
circuits for testing or trying out an idea. No soldering is required so it is easy to change
connections and replace components.

Connections on Breadboard
Using ammeter, test how the pins of the breadboard are connected with each other. Sketch a
map of the connections and include it in the Data section.

Common Errors in Using the Breadboard


After finding out how the breadboard pins are connected, answer what is wrong with the
following circuits (Figures 2 to 4). If you have trouble with Figure 4 then try making this
arrangement on your breadboard, connecting it to an ammeter and predict what current you
expect to see. If the result is different, calculate what is the Rtotal of that circuit from your V
and I values and also based on theory.

Figure 2. Circuit example #1

Figure 3. Circuit example #2


Figure 4. Circuit example #3

Experimental procedure

You are given 3 resistors. Measure their resistance values using a multimeter. Make sure that
you read the magnitude of the resistances properly. Label the one with the largest resistance
as A, the one with the smallest resistance as C and the last one as B. Write down their labels,
resistance values, and color code in an Excel spreadsheet (so it’s easier to remember their
values).

Now, let’s practice our newly acquired circuit building skills. First, setup a circuit on a
breadboard where B and A are in parallel and C is connected in series to them. Calculate their
Rtotal with the equations that you derived and write it down. Hook up a power source and the
ammeter/voltmeter to your circuit. Next, measure the current and voltage of this circuit using
the Pasco Current-Voltage sensor. Make sure you have mean and standard deviation values
from the graph for at least 10 different voltage values. Suggested values are from 1.5 V to 6
V with increment of 0.5 V (you can also use your own selected values for voltage). Create a
current vs.voltage (I-V) graph and check its slope and slope error. How well does it compare
to your calculated Rtotal?

Next, create a circuit where B and C are connected in parallel and A is connected in series to
them. Again, calculate its Rtotal. Repeat the measurement for 10 different voltage values,
similar to previous circuit. Create a I-V graph and obtain slope and error of the slope. How
well does it compare to your calculated value?

Is the graph linear or are there any anomalies? If something seems strange, what is the
possible reason? Take your time if you are not sure about the answers to the last 2 questions.
Discuss this in your report. Lastly, find the smallest possible current value that the ammeter
can discern (that would be the precision limit of the ammeter). Explain how you got it.

Can this limiting value be explained by anything else in the setup? If yes, explain and test if
that’s the case. If no, then comment on how you ruled out the possibility of other components
creating this limit.
Now, knowing this value, how can you incorporate it in the resistance uncertainty from
current-voltage measurements? Do this for both circuits.

Appendix A: Resistor Color Code


One of the important components in an electric circuit is the resistor. The most common kind
is made from a thin carbon film. You should have some at your table. Their resistance can
vary from less than one ohm to 20 million ohms or so. Each one is marked with the value of
its resistance, using the resistor color code. There are four (in newer resistors, 5 or 6) colored
bands on resistors. The first three bands represent numbers: a, b, and c. The value of the
resistance in ohms is then given by the number:

R = ab *10c ohms

The last band is the tolerance, meaning that is the spread of the actual resistance between
many resistances of the same color code. If you don’t measure each resistor with the
multimeter, then this is your systematic error value.

Mnemonics to remember color codes of resistors:

Badly Burnt Resistors On Your Ground Bus Void General Warranty

Black Bananas Really Offend Your Girlfriend But Violets Get Welcomed
Big Beautiful Roses Occupy Your Garden But Violets Grow Wild

BB ROY of Great Britain has a Very Good Wife

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