NAME: Malinis, Mikaela Gabrielle H.

SECTION: S12-11

Summative Assessment 2 in General Physics 2

Let’s Get Electrical!: Exploring the difference between series circuit and parallel
circuit
A. Objectives

● Differentiate series circuit from parallel circuit in terms of current, voltage

and resistance
● Apply the concepts of Series and Parallel Circuits to verify the results of
the experiment

B. Introduction
In our physics class, we learn that all electrical devices contain an electrical
circuit, which is a closed loop through which current can flow and consists of a variety of
components like the energy source, wires, resistors, and switch. There are two types of
electrical circuits, called parallel and series circuits. Using the Circuit Construction Kit
Lab from PHET Interactive Simulations, the purpose of this experiment is to explore the
difference between series and parallel circuits. Ohm's law, a formula that calculates the
relationship between voltage, current, and resistance, will also be utilized to verify the
experiment's results.
Ohm’s Law Triangle:

C. Materials and Procedure (Experimental Design)

Material:https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/circuit-construction-kit-dc/latest/circuit-cons
truction-kit-dc_en.html

Procedure:

A. General Procedure
1.) Once you click the link, you will be sent to the homepage. Click the
second simulation titled “Lab”.

2.) Once you have accessed the simulation, proceed to familiarize yourself
with the simulation’s features shown below.

3.) Once you are familiar with the simulation's features, let us begin by ticking
all the boxes in the show panel and select “conventional.

4.) Now, to connect your components (for instance, a wire and a light bulb),
drag the ends of the first component towards one of the two circles below
or at the sides of the second component. Refer to the pictures below:
5.) You could also cut or remove connected components by clicking the
grayed-out circles. Following a click, a yellow scissors icon will display;
click the icon to separate the connected components. Refer to the picture
below:

6.) You could also rotate your components. Simply click and hold on the
component's ends to rotate it in the desired direction. Refer to the picture
below:
7.) You can alter the battery's voltage and the bulb's resistance. Simply click
on the light bulb or battery, and a menu for altering the voltage or
resistance will appear at the bottom of the screen. Refer to the pictures
below:

Voltage adjuster for the battery

Resistance adjuster for the bulb

8.) Lastly to use the tools in the measurement panel, refer to the pictures
below:
 ● For the ammeter, drag the wire towards the component whose current you
intend to measure.

● For the voltmeter, drag the black test probe towards the negative end of
the component and the red probe to the positive end.

9.) Proceed by following the specific instructions for each table you will
answer in this experiment.

10.) After completing all the tables, answer the guide questions to discuss
the results of your experiment

11.) Provide your conclusion of the experiment and your learnings as well!

12.) Don’t forget to cite your sources in APA format.

B. Procedures for Each Table

B1. Series Circuit (Table 1)

1.) The Series Circuit table will use the following formulas:

Ohm’s Law

Current

Resistance

Voltage

2.) For the series circuit, the following conditions must be observed:
- All bulbs shall be arranged in one single path
- The circuit will use five light bulbs

3.) Begin designing your series circuit while adhering to the conditions
outlined in step 2 and modifying the battery voltage and bulb resistance.
Take a screenshot of the series circuit and paste it into the "Series Circuit"
box.

4.) Using the voltmeter and ammeter in the simulation, measure the voltage
and the current of the bulbs. Take a screenshot of the measuring process
of each bulb and paste it in the boxes below the “Series Circuit Box”.

5.) Record the current, resistance, and voltage in the table titled “Series
Circuit - Table 1”.

6.) After recording the needed data, verify the results using the formulas
shown in step 1.

7.) Take a picture of your computation for resistance, current, and voltage and
paste it in the designated solution boxes below the table.

8.) Afterwards, input your analysis and discussions after the last solution box.
B2. Parallel Circuit (Table 1)

9.) The Parallel Circuit table will use the following formulas:

Ohm’s Law

Current

Resistance

Voltage

10.) For the parallel circuit, the following conditions must be observed:
- The bulbs will be arranged in two or more pathways
- The circuit will use five light bulbs

11.) Begin designing your parallel circuit while adhering to the conditions
outlined in step 10 and modifying the battery voltage and bulb resistance.
Take a screenshot and paste it into the "Parallel Circuit" box.

12.) Using the voltmeter and ammeter in the simulation, measure the
voltage and the current of the bulbs. Take a screenshot of the measuring
process of each bulb and paste it in the boxes below table 2.

13.) Record the current, resistance, and voltage in the table titled “Parallel
Circuit - Table 2”.

14.) After recording the needed data, verify the results using the formulas
shown in step 9.
 15.) Take a picture of your computation for resistance, current, and voltage
and paste it in the designated solution boxes below the table.

16.) Afterwards, input your analysis and discussions after the last solution
box.

D. Results and Discussion

SERIES CIRCUIT

Series Circuit:

Bulb 1: Bulb 2: Bulb 3: Bulb 4: Bulb 5:

 Series Circuit - Table 1

Bulbs Resistance Current Voltage

1 10.0Ω 0.25 A 2.50 V

2 20.0Ω 0.25 A 5.00 V

3 25.0Ω 0.25 A 6.25 V

4 30.0Ω 0.25 A 7.50 V

5 35.0Ω 0.25 A 8.75 V

TOTAL 120Ω 0.25 A 30 V

Solution Box 1 - Resistance (series)

 Solution Box 2 - Current (series)

Solution Box 3 - Voltage (series)

Discussion/Analysis of Results of Series Circuit Table and Solutions

1.) Explain the characteristics of a series circuit based on the data and solutions.

ANSWER:

A series circuit, all components are connected end-to-end, forming a single path for current flow
(Campbell et al., 2018). One of the characteristics of a series circuit is that the current that passes through
each component is equal. This was evident in both the simulation and the solution; in the simulation, each
bulb produced a current of 0.25A when measured with an ammeter. As shown in the second solution box,
after applying the ohm's law calculation to get the current in each individual bulb, 0.25A was also
produced. Similarly, 0.25 A was calculated using the total resistance (120Ω) and total voltage (30V).
Another characteristic of a series circuit is that the overall resistance equals the sum of the resistances of
the individual bulbs. The overall resistance in the table was 120Ω. This is then confirmed by the solutions
provided in the first solution box, where the resistance of each bulb was calculated and then summed,
yielding 120Ω. Similarly, when the total voltage and total current were used to calculate the total resistance
according to ohm's law, the result was again 120Ω. Lastly, the voltage of a series circuit is the total of the
individual voltages of the bulbs. The total series circuit voltage was 30V. This is verified by the solutions
presented in the third solution box, in which, after calculating the individual voltages of each bulb,
summing them, and utilizing the total current and total resistance, a total voltage of 30V was obtained.

2.) What trend/s have you noticed in the simulation for your series circuit?

ANSWER:

Based on the simulation's representation of the series circuit's current flow, I've determined that the
circuit was generally slow. In addition, bulbs with a lower resistance have a lower brightness, whereas
bulbs with a greater resistance have a higher brightness. This may be seen in the screenshot of the series
circuit provided in the first box. Despite the fact that some bulbs had varied levels of brightness, the rate of
current flow remained constant.

PARALLEL CIRCUIT
 Parallel Circuit:

Bulb 1: Bulb 2: Bulb 3: Bulb 4: Bulb 5:

Parallel Circuit - Table 2

Bulbs Resistance Current Voltage

 1 10Ω 3.00 A 30.0 V

2 20Ω 1.50 A 30.0 V

3 25Ω 1.20 A 30.0 V

4 30Ω 1.00 A 30.0 V

5 35Ω 0.86 A 30.0 V

TOTAL 3.97 Ω 7.56 A 30.0 V

Solution Box 1 - Resistance (parallel)

Solution Box 2 - Current (parallel)

 Solution Box 3 - Voltage (parallel)

Discussion/Analysis of Results of Parallel Circuit Table and Solutions

3.) Explain the characteristics of a parallel circuit based on the data and solutions.

ANSWER:

Parallel circuits utilize branches that allow current to move along different paths from within the circuit
(Ather, 2020). As illustrated in the screenshot of the parallel circuit that was inserted into the "Parallel
Series" box, the current flows through five paths or branches to light up the five bulbs. The first
characteristic of a parallel circuit is that the overall resistance of a parallel circuit is equal to the reciprocal
of the sum of the individual resistors' reciprocals. In the first solution box, the individual resistances of
each bulb are calculated, reciprocalled, and then divided by one. This then gave a resistance of 3.97Ω.
The solution was additionally validated by utilizing the total voltage and total current as the values to be
entered into the ohm's law formula; as seen in the solution, this also resulted in a resistance of 3.97Ω. The
second characteristic of a parallel circuit is that the total current is the sum of all individual currents. Since
parallel circuits have branches that produce different paths, the current flow in each pathway is also
different. This can be seen in the second solution box, where calculating the individual currents yielded
varying results, which when added together resulted in a total current of 7.56A. In the second part of the
solution, the total voltage and total resistance were utilized as the values to enter into the ohm's law
calculation; as seen in the solution, this also resulted in a total current of 7.56A. Lastly, a parallel circuit’s
voltage is constant. This was evident in both the simulation and the solution; in the simulation, each bulb
produced a voltage of 30V when measured with an voltmeter. As shown in the third solution box, after
applying the ohm's law calculation to get the voltage in each individual bulb, 30V was also produced.
Similarly, 30V was calculated using the total resistance and total current.

4.) What trend/s have you noticed in the simulation for your parallel circuit?

ANSWER:

Based on the simulation's representation of the current flow in the parallel circuit, I've discovered that
the flow of circuit is fast in the main wire from the power source to the point where the circuit branches into
five distinct routes, but slows down as it enters the five branches. The bulbs with lower resistance are
often brighter than those with higher resistance. This may be observed in the image in the first box before
the table, where the bulb with a resistance of 10Ω seems brighter than the bulb with a resistance of 35Ω.
Despite the fact that some bulbs had varied levels of brightness, the voltage remained constant.

E. Conclusion
To recap the experiment's findings, the first section presented the series circuit
with its solutions and analysis, and the second section presented the parallel circuit with
its solutions and analysis. In terms of resistance, a series circuit’s total resistance is the
sum of the individual resistances of each bulb. In a series circuit, it was discovered that
the bulb with the highest resistance has the highest voltage. It was evident from the
provided images of the series circuit and the table that the first light bulb with a
resistance of 35Ω had the highest voltage of 8.75V. The total resistance has a higher
value than any of the individual resistances. In contrast, the total resistance of a parallel
circuit is the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of the individual resistors. In a
parallel circuit, the bulb with the lowest resistance carried the most current. It was
evident from the provided images of the parallel circuit and the table that the first light
bulb with a resistance of 10Ω had the highest current of 3.00A. In contrast to a series
circuit, the total resistance of a parallel circuit is comparatively lower than the value of its
individual resistances.
In terms of current, a series circuit’s current is constant. This is demonstrated
clearly by the solution provided in the second solution box of the first section, as well as
the pictures of each bulb. This is due to the structure of a series circuit which has only a
single pathway. In comparison, the current of a parallel series is not constant; it is the
sum of the currents of the individual bulbs. And similar to a series circuit, it is influenced
by its structure, and as a parallel circuit contains several paths, this could result in the
current being divided to supply the various pathways.
As for the voltage, a series circuit’s voltage is the sum of the individual voltages
of the bulbs. This was verified by the solutions provided that used Ohm’s law. However,
for parallel circuits, the voltage is constant. In a parallel circuit, the voltage drops across
each branch are equal to the battery's voltage gain. Hence, the voltage drop across
each of these resistors is the same (Beck, 2020). This was verified by the solutions
provided in the second section.
Overall, this experiment effectively showed the difference between series circuit
and parallel circuit in terms of current, voltage, and resistance. The differences shown in
this experiment is supported and verified by the solutions given—using the Ohm’s law
formulas and applying the concepts of series and parallel circuits. On a personal
standpoint, this experiment was able to help understand how physics affects our daily
life. In our homes, electrical circuits are necessary for our equipment to function. It is the
backbone of our comfort, as it is present in our air conditioners, vehicles, and other
devices.
F. References

Ather, S. H. (2020, December 28). The characteristics of a parallel circuit.

Sciencing. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from
https://sciencing.com/characteristics-parallel-circuit-8326545.html

Beck, K. (2020, February 10). How to calculate a voltage drop across resistors.
Sciencing. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from
https://sciencing.com/calculate-voltage-drop-across-resistors-6128036.html

Campbell, A., Hanania, J., & Donev, J. (2018, September 3). Series circuit. Series
circuit - Energy Education. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from
https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Series_circuit

Khan Academy. (n.d.). Class 12 physics (india) | science. Khan Academy.

Retrieved June 22, 2022, from
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/in-in-class-12th-physics-india

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