Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh

Laboratory On Electrical Circuits-I

EEE 102

Experiment Number - 5

Name of the Experiment:

Instantaneous and RMS Values of AC Waveforms; KVL, KCL, Phasor

Diagram of Simple Series R-C and R-L Circuits With Sinusoidal Excitation

Venue of the Experiment :

Electrical Circuit Laboratory I or II (Ground Floor-East)
ECE Building (East Wing), West Plassey Campus, BUET
Duration: 3 class hours (1 laboratory slot).
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 Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
EEE102 Electrical Circuits-I Laboratory (Experiment Part)

Experiment Number-5

Instantaneous and RMS Values of AC Waveforms, KVL, KCL, Phasor

Diagram of Simple Series R-C and R-L Circuits With Sinusoidal Excitation
INTRODUCTION: Waveforms of voltage and current that vary periodically with time may
be characterized by their average value or their root mean square (rms) value. The latter is
used to determine the power supplied, dissipated, or stored by a circuit element. Some of the
measuring instruments you will use respond to average values of voltage or current, while
others respond to rms values.

Measurements of AC signal:
 Amplitude is a measure of a wave's maximum magnitude of oscillation. An amplitude
measurement may be reported as peak (maximum), peak-to-peak (maximum to maximum),
average, or root mean square value (RMS) .
 Peak amplitude is the height of an AC waveform as measured from the center of the
oscillation to the highest positive or lowest negative point on a graph. It is also the crest or
maximum amplitude of a wave from a reference value.

 Peak-to-peak (maximum to maximum) amplitude is the total height of an AC waveform as

measured from maximum positive to minimum negative peaks (the highest peak to the lowest
valley) on a graph of the waveform. Often abbreviated as “P-P”, e.g., Vp-p or Vpp.

 Average value is the arithmetic “mean” of a waveform’s values over one cycle. The
average value of any waveform with equal-area portions above and below the “zero” line on
a graph is zero.
 “RMS ” stands for Root Mean Square, and is a way of expressing an AC quantity of
voltage or current in terms functionally equivalent to DC. For example, 10 volts AC RMS is
the amount of AC voltage that would produce the same amount of heat dissipation across a
resistor of given value as a 10 volt DC power supply. Also known as the “equivalent” or “DC
equivalent” value of an AC voltage or current.
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The instantaneous, average and rms values of following waveforms will be

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observed/recorded in this experiment:

1. A sinusoidal wave voltage: v(t) = Vm sin(2πt/T) or Vm sin(ωt) .
2. A square-wave voltage:
3. A triangular-wave voltage:

Since the sine, square, and triangular waveforms are symmetrical about the time axis, they all
have mathematical average voltages of zero. However, each waveform will have an rms
value, and a summary of the calculation steps for relating the voltage magnitude to the rms
value for each waveform is shown below:

Average Value is,

T
1
X AV = ∫ x ( t ) dt
T 0
RMS value is,

√
T
1
X RMS= ∫
T 0
2
x ( t ) dt

Since the sine, square, and triangular waveforms are symmetrical about the time axis, they all
have mathematical average voltages of zero. However, each waveform will have an rms
value.

A. RMS value of sinusoidal voltage or current with average zero is,

V max I max
Vrms = for voltage waveform and I rms = , where Vmax and Imax are maximum
√2 √2
(peak) value of sinusoidal voltage or sinusoidal current waveform respectively.

B. RMS value of square voltage or current with average zero is,

Vrms = Vmax for voltage waveform and I rms =I max , where Vmax and Imax are maximum
(peak) value of square voltage or square current waveform respectively.

C. RMS value of triangular voltage or current with average zero is,

V max
Vrms = for voltage waveform and I rms =I max , where Vmax and Imax are maximum
√3
(peak) value of square voltage or square current waveform respectively.

Experimental Measurements:

Construct the circuit of Fig. 1 (The source is a function generator set at 5 V peak to peak 100
Hz. with no dc offset (average zero having equal positive and negative areas along o time
axis) voltage with 1 kΩ load resistance connected to the function generator. Note that the
digital multimeters, voltmeters, ammeters, wattmeters and var meters will not show the
correct readings if their range of frequency is within the manufacturer's specified
values. Usually very high and very low frequency meters are of special type.
A. With sine wave input, measure the voltage across the 1 kΩ resistance by oscilloscope and
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the multimeter. Compare the results with computed values.

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B. With square wave input, measure the voltage across the 1 kΩ resistance by oscilloscope
and the multimeter. Compare the results with computed values.
C. With triangular wave input, measure the voltage across the 1 kΩ resistance by
oscilloscope and the multimeter. Compare the results with computed values.

For each case draw the waveforms to the scale in your report.

O s c C h1
M ult M e te r V pro be
V A M P L = 5 V p -p
FREQ = 100

RL
F unc tio n G e n
1k

M ult M e te r C o m
F unc t G e n R e f O s c re f

Fig. 1

Magnitude, Phase Measurements and KVL by Phasor Addition:

1. Construct the Fig. 2 and measure, draw and record the voltages V in , VR , and Vin - VR
(peak, peak to peak, rms values). current through the circuit has same shape and phase as V R
and the peak, peak to peak and rms values of current are V R/R . While drawing, recording
and taking reading of Vin - VR channel 2 has to be inverted by pressing INV2 and adding
channel 1 and channel 2 reading by pressing add button (the reference may get shifted during
these operations, which has to be brought back to original position for recording, drawing and
taking reading of Vin - VR = VC With obtained readings of rms values and phases of voltages,
draw the phasor diagram of Vin + VC + VR and show that it follows KVL. (Record each rms
voltage magnitudes by multimeter in voltage scale also).
O s c C h1
C
+ Vc -
O s c C h2
F R E Q = 1 0 0 0 Hz.
V A M P L = 1 0 V p -p

.0 1 uF
+ Vin -

+ VR -

R
F unc tio n G e n
1000

O s c re f
O s c re f
F unc t G e n R e f
Fig. 2
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2. Construct the Fig. 3 and measure, draw and record the voltages V in , VR , and Vin - VR
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(peak, peak to peak, rms values). current through the circuit has same shape and phase as V R
and the peak, peak to peak and rms values of current are V R/R . While drawing, recording
and taking reading of Vin - VR channel 2 has to be inverted by pressing INV2 and adding
channel 1 and channel 2 reading by pressing add button (the reference may get shifted during
these operations, which has to be brought back to original position for recording, drawing and
taking reading of Vin - VR = VLRint (not purely inductive). With obtained readings of rms
values and phases of voltages, draw the phasor diagram of V in + VLRint + VR and show that it
follows KVL. (Record each rms voltage magnitudes by multimeter in voltage scale also).

O s c C h1
L
+ VLRint -
O s c C h2
F R E Q = 1 0 0 0 Hz.
V A M P L = 1 0 V p -p

1 3 2 mH + R int
+ Vin -

+ VR -
R
F unc tio n G e n
1000

O s c re f
O s c re f
F unc t G e n R e f
Fig. 3

2. Construct the Fig. 4 and measure, draw and record the voltages V R , VR1 , VR2 and VR3
(peak, peak to peak, rms values). current through each branch has same shape and phase as
VR measured across the corresponding resistance of that branch and the peak, peak to peak
and rms values of current are VR/R respectively . Keep channel 1 fixed and move channel 2
to the positions shown.With obtained readings of rms values and phases of voltages across
each resistance, find and draw the phasor diagram of I in, IR, IC and ILRint and show that it
follows KCL (phasor summation of all current at a node must be equal to zero). (Record each
rms voltage magnitudes by multimeter in voltage scale also).
1 0 0 F R E Q = 1 0 0 0 Hz.
V A M P L = 1 0 V p -p

1 3 2 m H + R in t
+ VLRint -

O s c C h2
+ Vin -

+ VC -

L
.0 1 u

+ VR -

F unc tio n G e n C R
1000
O s c C h1
O s c C h2 O s c C h2
R1

100

100
R3

R2

O s c re f
O s c re f
F unc t G e n R e f
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