Electrics Lab

Alan Kim
A3

Lab Part I: Resistance of Each Bulb

What We Will Measure: The resistance of each bulb
Materials: Ammeter, Voltmeter, Wires, Battery, 3 Light bulbs, lamp
board
Diagram:

Procedure:
1. With the lamp board, connect the 3 light bulbs so that they are
connected in series
2. Connect the battery to this series of wires, so that it completes a
circuit. Dont turn it on yet
3. Connect an ammeter in series with the light bulbs
4. Connect a voltmeter in parallel with the light bulb closest to the
battery
5. Turn on battery so that it has a voltage of 6V, and measure the
current through wire using the ammeter, and the voltage across
the light bulb using the voltmeter.
6. Turn off Battery. Repeat Steps 4 to 5 for the 2 other light bulbs
Data:

Light bulb

Current (Amperes)

0.2

0.2

0.2

Voltage across resistor (Volts)

1.9

2.1

With this data, we know the current across the circuit, as well as the
voltage across each light bulb. Using Ohms Law, we can find the
resistance of each light bulb, for V=IR, which means V/I=R. Therefore
we can discover that

Light bulb

Resistance (Ohms)

2/0.2= 10

1.9/0.2= 9.5

2.1/0.2= 10.5

From this data, we can learn that the resistance of each light bulb is 10
ohms, 9.5 ohms, and 10.5 ohms.
Error Analysis:
1. Internal Resistance of Wires/Battery: The wires and battery most
likely had an internal resistance that we had ignored in the
experiment. This resistance could have altered our data by
lowering the current across the circuit, which increases the
experimental value of the resistance of each light bulb. In order
to decrease this error, we should measure the resistance across
each wire/battery and account for these resistances in our
calculation for voltage.
2. Non-ideal Resistors: For this experiment, we assumed that the
resistors are ohmic, and that they would therefore follow Ohms
Law. However, these resistors could have strongly deviated from
ideal conditions. Most likely, these non-ohmic resistors could
have had larger deviations in higher voltages, thus altering the
data. In order to reduce this error, we might want to assess if
these resistors are ohmic for the voltage we used in the
experiment.

Lab Part II: Ohmic Resistors

What We Will Measure: The current across circuit at batteries of
different voltages
Materials: Ammeter, Wires, Battery, 3 Light bulbs, lamp board
Diagram:

Procedure:
1. With the lamp board, connect the 3 light bulbs so that they are
connected in series
2. Connect the battery to this series of wires, so that it completes a
circuit. Dont turn it on yet
3. Connect an ammeter in series with the light bulbs
4. Turn on battery so that it has a voltage of 0V, and measure the
current through the wire using the ammeter
5. Turn off Battery. Repeat Steps 4 for batteries of voltage 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
and 6 volts
Data:

Voltage of Battery (Volts)

Current Across Circuit (Amperes)

0.08

0.12

0.13

0.15

0.17

0.18

Voltage of Battery Vs. Current of Wires

7
6
5
4
Voltage (V) 3
2
1
0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12 0.14 0.16 0.18 0.2
Current (A)

From the data of the experiment, we can draw a graph of Voltage of

Battery against the Current of Wires. Because V=IR, we know that the
slope of this graph is the total resistance of the 3 light bulbs. Also, we
know that ohmic resistors must have a constant resistance, even in
differing voltages and currents. Therefore, by observing if the slope of
the graph is constant or not, we can know if the resistors are ohmic are
not. From the graph drawn above, it is evident that the slope is not
constant, and that the resistors are not ohmic.

Error Analysis:
1. Internal Resistance of Wires/Battery: The wires and battery most
likely had an internal resistance that we had ignored in the
experiment. This resistance could have altered our data by
lowering the current across the circuit, and would have caused
an even greater error if these internal resistances were nonohmic. In order to decrease this error, we should measure the
resistance across each wire/battery and account for these
resistances in our calculations

Lab Part III: Combined Voltage Drops

Across Circuits
What We Will Measure: The combined voltage drop through different
circuits
Materials: Voltmeter, Wires, Battery, 3 Light bulbs, lamp board
Diagrams:

Procedure:

1. With the lamp board, connect the 3 light bulbs so that they are
connected in series
2. Connect the battery to this series of wires, so that it completes a
circuit. Dont turn it on yet
3. Connect a voltmeter in parallel to the 3 light bulbs.
4. Turn on battery so that it has a voltage of 6V, and measure the
combined voltage drop through the 3 light bulbs using the ammeter
5. Turn off Battery. Repeat 1~ 4 for arrangements of parallel light
bulbs, and combinations of light bulbs arranged in series and parallel.
Please use the diagrams above as reference
Data:

Combined Voltage
Drop (V)

Full
Series

Full
Parallel

Series Followed by
Parallel

Parallel Followed by
Series

5.9

5.8

5.6

From the data of the experiment, we can clearly see that the combined
voltage drops are different for each wire. In ideal circumstances, the
combined voltage drop of the 3 light bulbs must be 6V, for the circuit
must follow the Loop Rule. However, this does not happen because the
circuit is not ideal. In particular, the difference in the amount of wires
used, and the internal resistance of wires, created the difference we
see.
Because the full series and full parallel circuit only used a few extra
wires, the total internal resistance of wires was smaller for R=pL/A,
which meant that the combined voltage drop created by wires was
smaller, for the same current. This means that the voltage drop
created by light bulbs would naturally be greater, for the circuit must
follow the loop rule.
However, for the Series followed by Parallel Circuit, and the Parallel
Followed by Series Circuits, more wires were needed to complete the
more complex circuits. More wires meant longer total length of wires,
and because longer length leads to larger resistance, the combined
voltage drop from wires was greater. This means that the voltage drop
created by light bulbs would naturally be smaller, for the circuit must
follow the loop rule.

Error Analysis:
1. Internal Resistance of Battery: The battery most likely had an
internal resistance that we had ignored in the experiment. This
resistance could have altered our data by lowering the voltage
drop across the 3 light bulbs. In order to decrease this error, we
should measure the resistance across the battery and account
for this resistance in our calculations
2. Non-identical Wires: The wires we used in the experiment could
have had different lengths, thickness, and resistivity from one
another. In particular, because we used multiple wires, the
combined voltage drops could have been very different,
depending on whether the wires were identical or not. For
instance, even if the length of the wires used were identical, the
thickness affects the area of the wire, which means that a wire
that has longer length and small radius could have same
resistance value as a wire that is short but thick. In order to
prevent this kind of error, we could use identical wires of same
material, length, and thickness, which will allow us to get more
accurate data.