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NOL PHY 202
Lab – Introduction to Circuits
(40 total points)
Name: _______________
Before starting, please scroll through the worksheet to check the page numbers and get
all the information. Complete all activities before submitting the lab.
Type your answers directly into this document. Please highlight everything you type into this
report or any modifications you make in the document. There are no exceptions to this. Highlight
what you did so that your instructor can easily find your answers.
Goal:
●
Learn how voltages and currents behave in circuits with series and parallel aspects.
Instructions
This lab uses the Circuit Construction Kit DC simulation from PhET Interactive Simulations at
University of Colorado Boulder.
Click on the Intro option after opening the simulation.
Series Circuit (12 points)
1. Make sure the “Values” option is selected in the upper right so that the numerical values
of elements are displayed. For all screen shots, these numbers should be displayed.
2. Construct a series circuit consisting of a 25.0 V battery and three resistors (10.0 Ω, 20.0
Ω, 30.0 Ω).
3. Use the Ammeter and measure the current coming out of the battery. Also measure the
current right next to each resistor. Then use a voltmeter to measure the voltage across
the battery and each resistor. [Go to appendix at the end of this document if you do not
know how to connect voltmeter and ammeter (current meter) to the circuit]
I Battery
I 10.0 Ω
I 20.0 Ω
I 30.0 Ω
V Battery
V 10.0 Ω
V 20.0 Ω
V 30.0 Ω
(4 points)
4. Paste a screenshot showing the current measurement and the voltage measurement
across 10.0 Ω. (2 points)
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NOL PHY 202
5. For a series circuit, what are the rules that these currents and voltages follow? Show
how these numbers relate to each other to confirm these rules. (3 points)
6. Add a 40.0 Ω resistor in series into the circuit. Use the Ammeter to measure the current
out of the battery now. What is this new value? Does the current increase, decrease, or
remain the same? Explain conceptually why this happens without doing any calculations
or using numbers. (3 points)
Parallel Circuit (12 points)
7. Construct a parallel circuit consisting of a 25.0 V battery and three resistors (10.0 Ω,
20.0 Ω, 30.0 Ω), all connected in parallel.
8. Use the Ammeter and measure the current coming out of the battery. Also measure the
current right next to each resistor. Then use the voltmeter to measure the voltage across
the battery and each resistor.
I Battery
I 10.0 Ω
I 20.0 Ω
I 30.0 Ω
V Battery
V 10.0 Ω
V 20.0 Ω
V 30.0 Ω
(4 points)
9. Paste a screen shot showing the current measurement and the voltage measurement
across 10.0 Ω. (2 points)
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NOL PHY 202
10. For a parallel circuit, what are the rules that these currents and voltages follow? Show
how these numbers relate to each other to confirm these rules. (3 points)
11. Add a fourth parallel branch and put a 40.0 Ω resistor in that branch. Use the Ammeter
to measure the current out of the battery now. What is this new value? Does the current
increase, decrease, or remain the same? Explain conceptually why this happens without
doing any calculations or using numbers. (3 points)
Combination Circuit (10 points)
12. Construct a circuit so that a 25.0 V battery connected to the following combination of
resistors:
● 10.0 Ω is in series with 20.0 Ω.
● This series combination is in parallel with 40.0 Ω.
● This parallel combination is in series with 30.0 Ω.
● The battery is connected to this entire combination.
13. Use the Ammeter and measure the current coming out of the battery. Also measure the
current right next to each resistor. Then use the voltmeter to measure the voltage across
the battery and each resistor.
I Battery
I 10.0 Ω
I 20.0 Ω
I 30.0 Ω
I 40.0 Ω
V Battery
V 10.0 Ω
V 20.0 Ω
V 30.0 Ω
V 40.0 Ω
(5 points)
14. Paste a screen shot showing the current measurement and the voltage measurement
across 10.0 Ω. (2 points)
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NOL PHY 202
15. Explain how all these numbers confirm how currents and voltages should behave in a
circuit. What is equal to what? What adds to equal something? Go through each part of
the circuit and give a detailed analysis demonstrating that you know exactly how
currents and voltages are distributed through a circuit like this. (3 points)
Light Bulbs (6 points)
16. Construct the following circuits of light bulbs.
Series Circuit
Parallel Circuit
Complex Circuit
17. Rank the brightness of these bulbs. Clearly specify if any bulbs are equally bright in your
ranking. (3 points)
18. Explain why this happens without doing any calculations. Use the knowledge you have
learned about series and parallel circuits. Give a detailed explanation demonstrating you
know how the brightness changes depending on how the circuit is set up and why some
bulbs are brighter and why some are dimmer. (3 points)
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NOL PHY 202
Appendix:
A. How to measure potential difference (a.k.a voltage) across a device? The
voltmeter must be connected in parallel to the device.
B. How to measure current through the device? The ammeter must be in series with
the device.
There are types of ammeters given in the simulation. You can use either one in your
circuit.
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