Activity 24B Teacher Notes: Current in a Parallel Circuit PS-2826

Teacher Notes – Activity 24B: Current in a Parallel Circuit

Time Estimates Preparation: 20 min Activity: 30 min

Objectives
Students will be able to…
 use a Voltage-Current Sensor to measure the current through a parallel circuit consisting of small light
bulbs and a voltage source.
 compare the currents through the parallel circuit when one, two, and three bulbs are in the circuit.
 describe the relationship of the brightness of light bulbs in a parallel circuit and the number of bulbs in
the circuit
 describe the relationship of the current through a parallel circuit and the number of bulbs in the circuit.

Notes
 It is possible to combine this activity with 24A Current in a Series Circuit. Both activities
use the same equipment.
 Theoretically, the voltage of a simple circuit consisting of light bulbs and ‘D’ cells remains
constant. For a series circuit, adding light bulbs increases the resistance and reduces the
current through the circuit.
 Every simple circuit starts out as a series circuit, so the setup of one light bulb connected to
the voltage source for the first part of this activity is the same as the circuit setup in the
first part of the previous activity.
Background
If resistors are connected in parallel (side-by-side), their
total resistance is less than the sum of their individual
resistances.
If light bulbs are connected in parallel to a voltage source,
the brightness of the individual bulbs remains more-or-less
constant as more and more bulbs are added to the “ladder”.
The current increases as more bulbs are added to the circuit
and the overall resistance decreases. In addition, if one bulb Current, parallel circuit: 1 bulb
is removed from the “ladder” the other bulbs do not go out.
Each bulb is independently linked to the voltage source.
Sample Data
The screenshots show current through the parallel circuit
with one and two light bulbs.

Current, parallel circuit: 2 bulbs

Introductory Physics with the Xplorer GLX © 2006 PASCO p. 93

Current, parallel circuit: 2 bulbs

Activity 24B Teacher Notes: Current in a Parallel Circuit PS-2826

Lab Report - Activity 24B: Current in a Parallel Circuit

Answers and Sample Data
Prediction
How would the current through a parallel circuit change as more light bulbs are added to the
circuit?
The current though a parallel circuit would increase as more light bulbs are added to the circuit.
Data
1. How bright were the two light bulbs in parallel compared to the first light bulb?
When two bulbs were in parallel, each bulb was as bright as the first bulb.
2. How bright were the three light bulbs in parallel compared to the first light bulb?
When three bulbs were in parallel, each bulb was as bright as the first bulb.
Data Table

Item Current (A)

One light bulb in series 0.30
Two light bulbs in series 0.54
Three light bulbs in series 0.75

Questions
1. What did you notice about the brightness of each bulb in parallel as the second and third
bulbs were added to the circuit?
As more bulbs are added in a series circuit, the brightness of each bulb stayed the same.
2. How did the current for three light bulbs and two light bulbs in parallel compare to the
current for one light bulb?
As more bulbs are added in a parallel circuit, the current through the circuit increases.
3. How does the current in a series circuit change as you add more light bulbs to the circuit?
The current in a parallel circuit increases as you add more light bulbs to the circuit.
4. Do your results support your prediction?
Answers will vary.

Introductory Physics with the Xplorer GLX © 2006 PASCO p. 94