SERIES CONNECTION OF RESISTANCES

I. Objective: To verify the law which govern the resistances that are connected in series. II. Materials: four voltmeter, four ammeter, 3 resistors, connecting wires, two dry cells. III. Procedure: Construct a circuit that consist of a power supply 5 ohms and 10 ohms resistor, a voltmeter, an ammeter and connecting wires, so that you have formed a single complete path for the electrons to flow. Connect the ammeter in the circuit so that it will read the current being delivered by the power supply this is the total current passing through the circuit. Connect the voltmeter to the circuit so that it will read the potential difference across the power supply this is the total voltage being supplied to the circuit. Adjust the power supply so that the voltmeter reads. Calculate the values for the total resistance (Rt), the voltage (Vt) and the current (It). IV. Diagram:

V. Data: Theoritical Theoritical voltage current (Vt) (It) 1.5 1 1.5 .1 .3 .3

Trial 1 2 3

R1 5 10 10

R2 5 5 10

R3 5 5 5

Rt 15 20 25

I1 .1 .3 .3

I2 .1 .3 .3

I3 .1 .3 .3

It .1 .5 .06

V1 .6 .9 .8

V2 .5 .4 .7

V3 .5 .4 .4

Vt 1.5 10 1.5

VI. Computations: Trial 1 Rt = R1 + R2 + R3 = 5 + 5 + 5 Rt = 15 Vt = It Rt = .1 (15) Vt = 1.5 volt It = Vt / Rt = 1.5 / 15 It = 0.1 amp. Trial 2 Rt = R1 + R2 + R3 = 10 + 5 + 5 Rt = 20 Vt = It Rt = .5 (20) Vt = 10 volt It = Vt / Rt = 10 / 20 It = 0.5 amp. Trial 3 Rt = R1 + R2 + R3 = 10 + 10 + 5 Rt = 25 Vt = It Rt = .06 (25) Vt = 1.5 volt It = Vt / Rt = 1.5 / 25 It = 0.06 amp.

VII. Discussion: Resistors can be placed in circuits in different arrangements. The two basic arrangements are to have the resistors in series or in parallel. The total voltage across the circuit and the total current through the circuit depend on the resultant resistance by the arrangement. Resistors are in series when they are connected in a single row head to tail. When connected in series there is a single path for the charge to travel. There will be a voltage drop across each resistor and the total voltage drop is the sum of the individual voltages. A resistor is a passive two-terminal electrical component that implements electrical resistance as a circuit element. The current through a resistor is in direct proportion to the voltage across the resistor's terminals. This relationship is represented by Ohm's law: where I is the current through the conductor in units of amperes, V is the potential difference measured across the conductor in units of volts, and R is the resistance of the conductor in units of ohms. The ratio of the voltage applied across a resistor's terminals to the intensity of current in the circuit is called its resistance, and this can be assumed to be a constant (independent of the voltage) for ordinary resistors working within their ratings.

Resistors are common elements of electrical networks and electronic circuits and are ubiquitous in electronic equipment. Practical resistors can be made of various compounds and films, as well as resistance wire (wire made of a high-resistivity alloy, such as nickel-chrome). Resistors are also implemented within integrated circuits, particularly analog devices, and can also be integrated into hybrid and printed circuits. The electrical functionality of a resistor is specified by its resistance: common commercial resistors are manufactured over a range of more than nine orders of magnitude. When specifying that resistance in an electronic design, the required precision of the resistance may require attention to the manufacturing tolerance of the chosen resistor, according to its specific application. The temperature coefficient of the resistance may also be of concern in some precision applications. Practical resistors are also specified as having a maximum power rating which must exceed the anticipated power dissipation of that resistor in a particular circuit: this is mainly of concern in power electronics applications. Resistors with higher power ratings are physically larger and may require heat sinks. In a high-voltage circuit, attention must sometimes be paid to the rated maximum working voltage of the resistor. Practical resistors have a series inductance and a small parallel capacitance; these specifications can be important in high-frequency applications. In a low-noise amplifier or pre-amp, the noise characteristics of a resistor may be an issue. The unwanted inductance, excess noise, and temperature coefficient are mainly dependent on the technology used in manufacturing the resistor. They are not normally specified individually for a particular family of resistors manufactured using a particular technology.[1] A family of discrete resistors is also characterized according to its form factor, that is, the size of the device and the position of its leads (or terminals) which is relevant in the practical manufacturing of circuits using them.

A Series of resistors means resistors connected end to end in a line. This means that the resistance for the circuit is different from any one resistor. Take two resistors in series in a circuit with a voltage supply.

To find the overall resistance of the circuit, add up the individual resistances of the each of the resistors. i.e. ( )

VIII. Observation: I observe that the total effective resistance of several resistors in series is the sum of the individual resistance values of the individual resistors. IX. Analysis: Series circuit has only one path to follow and cannot flow in any other path. Current is exactly the same at every point in a series circuit. The voltage in a series circuit the sum of the applied voltages in a series circuit equals the sum of the voltage drops. The total resistance in a series circuit is equal to the sum of the individual resistances. X. Conclusion: Therefore I conclude that the resistors in series will tend to have a higher total resistance based on the data.