EE 336 Lab Report # 4

Internal Resistance

Magdalena Simic Ravi B Gondaliya

Performed on February 9, 2012 Submitted on February 16, 2012

Iman A. Hashemi Section 02

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach, FL 32114

I. Abstract This lab was intended to demonstrate and analyze the principle of internal resistance. A fundamental circuit containing a power source and equal valued resistors was first assembled and analyzed using a Digital Multimeter (DMM). The internal resistance of a Simpson Meter was then investigated by measuring a voltage drop in the circuit. Kirchhoffs current law was then used to determine an error in current measurement, which then enabled the internal resistance of the Simpson Meter to be calculated. Overall, the experiment successfully demonstrated the fundamental analysis of the topics introduced. II. Introduction Resistance is a very significant property in the design and analysis of a circuit. It can be defined as a friction that electrons will encounter when passing through a conductive material. Something with a high resistance will cause difficulty for passing electrons. However, a material with low resistance will allow an easy passage. When describing such a material, the value of internal resistance is important. Internal resistance refers to the resistance that a material possesses when a current is flowing through it. This additional form of resistance can be problematic if it is not taken into consideration. Common sources of internal resistance can be seen from a battery or wires in a circuit. The battery will supply a slightly lower value of voltage than it is rated for due to internal resistance and wires will add resistance to the circuit as well. Such aspects of internal resistance make it necessary to factor it into circuit analysis. Resistivity by itself is a quantitative measurement of a materials internal resistance. It is directly related to the length and cross-sectional area of the material as well as the conductive properties of the material. Different materials each have their own specific value. A material with very high resistivity is known as an insulator, such as glass or ceramic. Conversely, a material with a very low resistivity, such as aluminum or copper, is referred to as a conductor. This lab will be investigating the internal resistance of a measurement device known as a Simpson Meter. The Simpson Meter is used to measure resistance, voltage, and current. There are two main parts of the meter, a top screen portion and a bottom reading adjustment portion. The bottom section contains knobs that adjust what value the meter will be measuring and the type of current. It also contains the connections for the plugs that connect from the meter to the circuit being measured. In Figure 1 the lower portion of the meter is pictured. The top portion contains an analog screen that displays the readings the meter is taking. The output reading varies according to what is being measured and in order to obtain the proper value, the correct arc value needs to be read. Figure 2 depicts the four arcs seen on the top screen portion of the Simpson Meter. In order for reading from a Simpson Meter to be accurate, the internal resistance of the meter must be greater than the resistance of the component being measured. By having a greater resistance, almost all of the current flowing through the circuit will flow through the component and not the Simpson Meter.

Figure 1: Bottom Portion of Simpson Meter Showing the Plug Connections, Current Adjuster, and Data Measurement Device

Figure 2: Top Screen Portion of the Simpson Meter

III. Procedure __________ CIRCUIT 1

Figure 3: Circuit 1 Configuration for Experiment

1. The Simpson meter was first connected to the voltage source at 5V. The scale on the

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Simpson meter output gauge was then varied in order to become familiar with reading data from the device. The resistors used in Figure 3 were measured for actual resistance using the DMM and these values were recorded. The circuit in Figure 3 was then assembled and connected to a 10V power supply. Current IAB was measured using the DMM, not the Simpson meter. Current IBC was measured using the DMM. The Simpson meter was then connected as seen in Figure 3 and the voltage drop across R2 was measured and recorded. Kirchhoffs Current Law was used at point B to calculate the current IERROR (the current through the Simpson meter). The internal resistance of the Simpson meter was calculated. Steps 4-8 were then repeated using a higher scale on the Simpson meter. This experiment was then repeated by replacing the 100k resistors with 2.2 k resistors and also re-calculating the internal resistance of the Simpson meter. Result Analysis and Discussion

IV.

In this experiment, two resistors were wired in series with a 10 volt voltage source. The resistance of each resistor was measured and recorded below in Table 4.1. Theoretical Measured Percent Resistance (k) Resistance (k) Difference 1 100 101.5 1.49% 2 100 106.2 6.01% Table 1: Table of Theoretical and Measured Resistance for Resistors in Circuit 1 Resistor

The equation used to calculate for percent difference between the theoretical and measured resistance is:

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After the actual value of resistance for each resistor were determined, the current across R1 ( ) was measured using the DMM. From this method, the current across R1 was found to be 50.1 A. To determine the current across R2, Ohms Law was used and the current was found to be 50 A. This was calculated using the following equation:

The next objective for this experiment was to determine the voltage drop across R2 using the Simpson Meter. For this portion of the experiment, the Simpson Meter was set up in parallel across R2, and the voltage drop was recorded to be 4.0 volts. To determine the degree of error attained when using a Simpson Meter, Kirchhoffs Current Law was applied to the circuit:

With the current across the resistor attained, Kirchhoffs Current Law can now be used. current going into the Simpson Meter and is the current across the resistor.

is the

This value of 10.1A is considered to be the Ierror of the circuit when the Simpson Meter is connected. The internal resistance of the Simpson Meter is then determined to be 3.96 k using the following equation:

This process is repeated for each of the two higher scales on the Simpson Meter. These values are 50 volts and 250 volts. Simpson Meter Voltage Drop Across Error Current Internal Scale Resistor 2 (v) (A) Resistance (k) 10v 4.0 10.1 396 50v 4.8 3.0 160 250v 4.9 2.0 245 Table 2: Voltage Drop, Current Error and Internal Resistance at Different Simpson Meter Scales

When further analyzing the data, the limit of the error current to pass through the Simpson Meter when the internal resistance goes to infinity is zero. Thus, the smaller the value of the current, the greater the internal resistance will be, and the more accurate the voltage reading across the component would be. The second part of the experiment was to repeat all of the previous steps using two 2.2 k resistors instead. Here, the current across the first resistor was found to be 2.30 mA when using the DMM. The current across the second resistor was then calculated to be 2.27 mA by using Ohms Law. The Simpson Meter was again reconnected in parallel with R2, and the voltage drop was measured to be 4.9 V. Using this value, the error current that passes through the Simpson Meter was calculated and found to be 0.07 mA. This also yielded the internal resistance to be 67.4 k. This process was repeated for each of the higher scale increments as done before. Simpson Meter Voltage Drop Across Error Current Internal Scale Resistor 2 (v) (mA) Resistance (k) 10v 4.9 0.07 70 50v 5.1 0.02 255 250v 4.9 0.07 70 Table 3: Voltage Drop, Current Error and Internal Resistance at Different Simpson Meter Scales When analyzing the data, it can be observed that the greater the difference between the components resistance and the resistance of the Simpson Meter, the more accurate the readings will be. The resistance on an ideal voltmeter should be infinite, to ensure that all of the current passes through the component within the circuit, thus yielding a more accurate answer. V. Conclusion

The lab demonstrated many fundamental aspects of internal resistance and its properties. These concepts will be essential in the further pursuit of circuit analysis and construction. Internal resistance is something that must be taken into consideration during high precision circuit analysis and construction. During the analysis phase of the experiment, the proper operation of a Simpson meter was established. This device and its operation can hold many future electrical engineering applications. A DC power supply unit was used as a power source to the circuit and a DMM was used to measure experimental data such as voltage, resistance, and current. The fundamental skills necessary to analyze internal resistance in circuits were successfully taught. In addition, the recorded data had a very low margin of percent error when compared to theoretical calculation. Overall, the experimental investigation was a success. VI. Statement

This experiment was efficient in demonstrating the superposition principal. The teaching assistant provided all the necessary assistance when asked.