Lab 3: Ohms Law with Series - Parallel Circuit

1. Objective

The purpose of this Lab is to verify Ohm’s Law then to apply Ohm’s law to series-
parallel circuits and verify the current and voltage rules.

2. Equipments and Components

 Breadboard, Digital Multimeter
,DC Power Supply.
 1k, 1.5 k and 2.2 k Resistors.

3. Theory

THE BASICS
Back in 1826, George Simon Ohm found that for a given circuit at a given
temperature, a definite ratio existed between the potential difference (voltage) and
the current. If the voltage were doubled without changing the temperature, the
current would also be doubled. This ratio of voltage to current is called the
resistance, R, of the circuit. Thus,
V / I = R = constant
If V is measured in volts, and I is measured in amperes (amps), then R is in ohms.
Hence, the ohm is one volt per ampere. The relation between V, I and R is called
Ohm's Law, in honor of George Simon Ohm. In Other words, Ohm’s Law states that
the voltage V across a resistor is directly proportional to the current I flowing
through it. (V=IR)The law should be familiar in all three of its possible forms:
R=V/I | I=V/R | V=IxR
By extension, we can also calculate the power, P, dissipated by a resistive element:
P=VxI
By simple substitution, we arrive at the other two common expressions for power:
P = V² / R | P = I² x R
Series-Parallel Circuits
A series – parallel circuit is a combination of the series and parallel circuit. The
analysis of a series – parallel dc networks requires a firm understanding of the
basics of both series and parallel networks. In a series - parallel configuration, you
will have to isolate series and parallel configurations and make the necessary
combinations for reduction as you work towards finding out the desired unknown
quantity.

Series Circuits facts:

a. The current is the same in all parts of a DC circuit when resistors and loads
are connected in series with the voltage source.
b. In DC circuits with resistors or loads in series, the voltage drop across each
resistor or load depends on the resistance of each resistor or load.
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c. Total resistance (Rtot) in a series DC circuit is the sum of the individual

resistances (Rtot = R1 + R2 + R3 + …)
d. For any resistor, given the current through it and the voltage across it, you
can use Ohm's law to find the resistance.

Parallel Circuits facts:

a. The current is NOT the same in all parts of a DC circuit when resistors and
loads are connected in parallel with the voltage source. The total current is the
sum of the current in each branch of the circuit.
Itot = I1 + I2 + I3 + …..
b. In DC circuits with resistors or loads in parallel, the voltage drop across each
resistor is the same.
c. Total resistance (Rtot) in a parallel DC circuit is found using this equation:
1/Rtot = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3 + …..
d. The total resistance in a parallel circuit is always less than the smallest
resistance in any one of the parallel branches.
e. For any resistor, given the current through it and the voltage across it, you
can use Ohm's law to find the resistance.

4. Pre-Lab (2 marks)

1) Read the theory related to Ohms Law from your Text Book.

2) Simulate the circuit of Figure 3.1 & 3.2 using Multisim and measure the
voltages and currents as outlined in the procedure and bring the simulation
results along with you when you come for the Lab.

5. Lab Work

5.1 Verification of Ohms Law

1. Measure the value of resistor using DMM as an ohm meter and record it.
R measured =
2. Construct the circuit as shown in schematic diagram below. Use a DMM for
measuring voltage and another DMM as ammeter for measuring current.

3. Adjust the power supply until

V R = 2 V. ( VR is the voltage across the
resistor, not the supply voltage).

4. Measure the value of current

IR and record it in Table 1.
5. Repeat the procedures for other values of
VR as shown in the table.

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I R ( DMM ) VR I R ( DMM )
6. Plot the curve of vs. using Excel sheet. Take on x-

axis and
V R on y-axis. Clearly indicate each data point on the graph. Give
title and subtitles wherever necessary. Name the curve as “R = 1 k”.
7. Find the value of resistance from the graph by taking the slope of the
straight line obtained from linear regression for the set of data. Slope =
Rpractical.
R practical =
8. Finally, determine the percentage difference of measured and practical value
of resistor R using the following formula.
|Rmeas −R practical|
% Diff = x 100 %
Rmeas + R practical
2 Equation 3.1
9. Complete the Table 3.2.

Figure 3.1 Verification of Ohm’s Law

5.2 Series –parallel Circuit

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Figure 3.2. Schematic Diagram of a series-parallel circuit

With R1=1 KΩ , R2=1.5 KΩ and R3=2.2 KΩ

1. Measure the value of resistors given to you using DMM and record it in the
column #1 of the Table 2.
2. Isolate the 12-V voltage source and calculate the circuits total resistance as
seen across points A – C and record it below.
RTotal calculated = ___________Ω
3. Using the above resistors, power supply and connecting wires, construct the
circuit as shown in Figure 3.2.
4. Isolate the 12-V voltage source and measure the total resistance RTotal across
points A – C using DMM as Ohmmeter and record it below. Record this
value in Table 2 as well.
RTotal measured = ___________Ω
5. Measure the voltage across each resistor such as V1, V2 and V3 of the circuit
and record the values in Table 2.
6. Measure currents I1, I2 and I3 in the circuit and record the values in Table 2.

6. Measurements and Results (5 marks)

Verification of Ohms Law

(Attach your Excel Graph Sheet here), comment on the results.

Table 1. Current Measurements

I R ( DMM ) I R ( DMM )
VR (mA) (mA)
(V)
Multisim Measured
2

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Table 2. Summary of Results

Method R ()

Measured Value on lab work (step 1)

Practical Value on lab work
(by Ohm’s law, step 7)
Measured Value on Multisim (step 1)
Practical Value on Multisim
(by Ohm’s law, step 7)
% Difference on Lab work (step 8)

% Difference on Multisim (step 8)

Table 3. Data Table.

% Error % Error
Multisim Theoretical Measured / Measured /
Lab Measurements with DMM
Measurements Calculations Calculated Calculated
Voltages Currents

Resistor Voltage Current Voltage Current Voltage Current DMM Multisi DMM Multisi
Values values values values values values values m m

R1 = Ω V1= V I1= A V1= V I1= A V1= V I1= A

R2 = Ω V2= V I2= A V2= V I2= A V2= V I2= A

R3 = Ω V3= V I3= A V3= V I3= A V3= V I3= A

Rtot = Ω Vtot= V Itot = A Vtot= V Itot= A Vtot = V Itot = A

7. Discussion (3 marks)

Write a suitable conclusion for the experiment (show comparative analysis if any)
and answer the following questions.

Questions:
1. How are the voltmeter and ammeter placed in the circuit to make a correct
measurement?
a) voltmeter    
b) ammeter      

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2. Which meter of the DMM (the voltmeter or Ammeter) forces all the current
into the meter for the measurement? ______________

3. Which meter creates an alternate path for the electrons to follow? _______

4. Which meter measures the flow rate of electrons? _____________

5. Which meter has the largest resistance? _________ & Why?

6. Does the measured value of voltage and current satisfy Ohms Law?

7. Is the calculated value and measured value of current same (in Table 1)?
What could be the source of any discrepancy, if any?

8. Theoretically calculate the voltages across V1, V2, V3 in Figure 3.2 using
voltage divider rule and compare them with the voltages measured in
previous steps . Write your comment. (Show your calculations )

9. Theoretically calculate the current through each branch of the circuit in

Figure 3.2 using current divider rule and compare it with the currents
measured in previous steps.Write your comment. (Show your calculations)