Week 2 – AC Circuits

Part 1: RMS, Peak, and Peak-to-Peak Voltage

Procedure
1. Connect the circuit shown here:

15 VAC

2. Use your AC voltmeter as needed for each of the following, and record each result in the
table below.
a. Measure the total voltage across R1 and R2.
b. Calculate the peak value of the AC voltage read on the voltmeter using the
following formula:

ERMS = EP x 0.707

c. Calculate the peak-to-peak value of the AC reading using the following formula:

EP-P = EP x 2

d. Disconnect the AC voltmeter and reconnect it to measure the voltage drop across
resistor R1.
e. Calculate the peak value of the voltage drop across resistor R 1.
f. Disconnect the AC voltmeter and reconnect it to measure the voltage drop across
resistor R2.
g. Calculate the peak value of the voltage drop across resistor R2.

Voltage Drop ERMS EP EP-P

R1
14.1 V 20.65 V 41.3 V

R2
1.2 V 1.7 V 3.4 V

Total
15.3 V 22.35 V 44.7 V
 Part 2: RC Circuits
Procedure
1. Connect the circuit shown here:

15 VAC

2. Connect the AC voltmeter across the resistor and record the voltage in the table below.
3. Connect the AC voltmeter across the capacitor and record the voltage in the table below.
4. Use the AC voltmeter to measure the voltage drop across both the resistor and the
capacitor. (Place one lead on the voltage coming into the circuit and the other lead on
ground.) Record your findings in the table below.
5.
Voltage drop across resistor Voltage drop across Total voltage drop across
capacitor both components

13.7 V 8V 16.2 V

Do the voltage drops across the resistor and capacitor add up to the total voltage applied to the
circuit? No

If not, why not? There is no load in the circuit

Using the following vector diagram below as a guide, supply your measured values of ER and EC,
and calculate the expected voltage drop across the two components together (ET). (Be sure to show
all calculations.) Does this match your measured value? Lastly, calculate the angle “theta”
between the vectors.

=13.7 V ET = 15.86 V

Theta = 30.29 degrees

8v=