Laboratory Experiment # 2

Familiarization with Laboratory Equipment and Instruments

INTRODUCTION

A multimeter is an electrical instrument capable of measuring voltage, current,

and resistance. Digital multimeters have numerical displays, like digital clocks, for
indicating the quantity of voltage, current, or resistance. Analog multimeters indicate
these quantities by means of a moving pointer over a printed scale.

Electricity -- at least in small, safe quantities -- is insensible by our human

bodies. Your most fundamental "eyes" in the world of electricity and electronics will
be a device called a multimeter. Multimeters indicate the presence of, and measure
the quantity of, electrical properties such as voltage, current, and resistance.

Voltage is the measure of electrical "push" ready to motivate electrons to

move through a conductor. In scientific terms, it is the specific energy per unit
charge, mathematically defined as joules per coulomb. It is analogous to pressure in
a fluid system: the force that moves fluid through a pipe, and is measured in the unit
of the Volt (V)

Resistance is the measure of electrical "friction" as electrons move through a

conductor. It is measured in the unit of the "Ohm," that unit symbolized by the capital
Greek letter omega (Ω).

OBJECTIVES

1. To become familiar with Laboratory Equipment and Instruments

2. To be able to learn how to measure voltage and resistance.
3. To understand the characteristics of voltage and resistance: existing
between two points
4. To perform selection of proper meter range
5. To determine and comprehend "electrical continuity"
6. To determine and comprehend "electrically common points"
7. To familiarize with relative conductivity of various components and
materials
MATERIALS

● Multimeter (Analog / Digital)

● Assorted batteries (DC source)
● Utility outlet (AC source)
● DC lamp or resistors (resistive component)
● Wires / Extension cord (conductors)

SUPPLIMENTARY TUTORIAL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rGDx92McTY

PROCEDURE
A. Voltmeter Usage

1. Set your multimeter's selector switch to the highest-value "DC volt"

position available.

2. Touch the red test probe to the positive (+) side of a battery, and the black
test probe to the negative (-) side of the same battery. The meter should
now provide you with some sort of indication. Reverse the test probe
connections to the battery and observe if the meter's indication is negative
(on an analog meter, a negative value is indicated by the pointer deflecting
left instead of right). Perform this three times, each with different battery
sizes.

Note:
Auto-ranging multimeters may only have a single position for DC voltage, in which case you
need to set the switch to that one position.

If your meter is a manual-range type, and the selector switch has been set to a high-range
position, the indication will be small. Move the selector switch to the next lower DC voltage range
setting and reconnect to the battery. The indication should be stronger now, as indicated by a
greater deflection of the analog meter pointer (needle), or more active digits on the digital meter
display.

For the best results, move the selector switch to the lowest-range setting that does not "over-
range" the meter. An over-ranged analog meter is said to be "pegged," as the needle will be
forced all the way to the right-hand side of the scale, past the full-range scale value. An over-
ranged digital meter sometimes displays the letters "OL", or a series of dashed lines. This
indication is manufacturer-specific.

3. Read and record your reading on Tables 1-1.

4. Set your multimeter's selector switch to the highest-value "AC volt"

position available.

5. (Caution: Before performing this step, make sure your hands and your
 multimeter are dry. Make sure that your hands will not make contact with
the bare tip of the meter probes. It is recommended that you perform this
in the presence of an adult.)

Insert the red test probe to one terminal of a convenience outlet (AC), and
the black test probe to the other terminal. The meter should now provide
you with some sort of indication. Reverse the test probe connections to the
terminals and observe the meter's indication.

6. Measure the value and record your reading on Table 1-1

Simulation:

1. Add a DC voltage source (representing the battery) and a Voltmeter

(representing the Multimeter) to the circuit board.

2. Connect the positive terminal of the DC source to one end of the

voltmeter. Then connect the negative terminal of the DC source to
the other end of the voltmeter. The voltmeter should provide you a
value. Reverse the voltmeter and observe if it provides you a
negative value.

Perform this three times with the three different voltage sources of
your batteries.

3. Read and record your reading on Table 1-1.

4. Add an AC voltage source (220 V) and a Voltmeter to the circuit board.

5. Connect one terminal of the AC source to one end of the voltmeter.

Then connect the other terminal of the AC source to the other end of
the voltmeter. The voltmeter should provide you a value. Reverse
the voltmeter and observe if it provides you a negative value.

6. Read and record your reading on Table 1-1.

Questions A

1. What happens if you only touch one meter test probe to one end of a battery?

2. How does the meter have to connect to the battery in order to provide an
indication?

3. What does this tell us about voltmeter use and the nature of voltage?

4. Is there such a thing as voltage "at" a single point?

B. Ohmmeter Usage

1. Set your multimeter to the highest resistance range available.

The resistance function is usually denoted by the unit symbol for resistance: the Greek letter
omega (Ω), or sometimes by the word "ohms."

2. Touch the two test probes of your meter together.

● When you do, the meter should register 0 ohms of resistance.

● If you are using an analog meter, you will notice the needle deflect full-scale when the probes
are touched together, and return to its resting position when the probes are pulled apart.

● The resistance scale on an analog multimeter is reverse-printed from the other scales: zero
resistance in indicated at the far right-hand side of the scale, and infinite resistance is
indicated at the far left-hand side.

● There should also be a small adjustment knob or "wheel" on the analog multimeter to
calibrate it for "zero" ohms of resistance.

● Touch the test probes together and move this adjustment until the needle exactly points to
zero at the right-hand end of the scale.

● Digital multimeters set to the "resistance" mode indicate non-continuity by displaying some
non- numerical indication on the display. Some models say "OL" (Open-Loop), while others
display dashed lines.

3. Use your meter to determine continuity between the plug and the outlet of your
extension cord.

● An important concept in electricity, closely related to electrical continuity, is that of points

being electrically common to each other. Electrically common points are points of contact on
a device or in a circuit that has negligible (extremely small) resistance between them.

● Continuity describes what is between points of contact, while commonality describes how the
points themselves relate to each other

● Like continuity, the commonality is a qualitative assessment, based on a relative comparison

of resistance between other points in a circuit. It is an important concept to grasp because
there are certain facts regarding voltage in relation to electrically common points that are
valuable in circuit analysis and troubleshooting, the first one being that there will never be
substantial voltage dropped between points that are electrically common to each other.

4. Prepare a resistive component such as resistor or a DC lamp.

5. Connect the ohmmeter's test probes across the terminals of the resistive
component, and note its indication on the resistance scale.

● If the needle points very close to zero, you need to select a lower resistance range on the
meter, just as you needed to select an appropriate voltage range when reading the voltage of
a battery

● If you are using a digital multimeter, you should see a numerical on the display

6. Record your reading on Table 1-2.

7. Try reversing the test probe connections on the resistor.

Questions B

1. Does this change the meter's indication at all?

2. What does this tell us about the resistance of a resistor / resistive component?

3. What happens when you only touch one probe to the resistor / resistive
component?

4. What does this tell us about the nature of resistance, and how it is measured?

5. How does this compare with voltage measurement, and what happened when
we tried to measure battery voltage by touching only one probe to the battery?

8. You may safely measure the resistance of your own body by holding one probe tip
with the fingers of one hand, and the other probe tip with the fingers of the other
hand. You may safely measure the resistance of your own body by holding one
probe tip with the fingers of one hand, and the other probe tip with the fingers of the
other hand.

● be very careful with the probes, as they are often sharpened to a needle-point. Hold the
probe tips along their length, not at the very points! You may need to adjust the meter range
again after measuring the 10 kΩ resistors, as your body resistance tends to be greater than
10,000 ohms hand-to-hand.

7. Try wetting your fingers with water and re-measuring resistance with the meter.
What impact does this have on the indication?

8. Try wetting your fingers with saltwater prepared using the glass of water and
table salt, and re-measuring resistance. What impact does this have on your
body's resistance as measured by the meter?

9. Take a piece of paper and draw a very heavy black mark on it with a pencil (not a
pen!).

10. Measure resistance on the black strip with your meter, placing the probe tips at
each end of the mark.

11. Move the probe tips closer together on the black mark and note the change in
resistance value.

Questions C

1. Does the resistance increase or decrease with decreased probe spacing?

2. If the results are inconsistent, you need to redraw the mark with more and
heavier pencil strokes, so that it is consistent in its density.

3. What does this teach you about resistance versus length of a conductive
material?
Table 1.1 Voltmeter Reading
Multimeter Simulation
Battery (DC Source)
a.
b.
c.
Convenience outlet (AC Source) Multimeter Simulation
a.

Table 1.2 Ohmmeter Reading

Reading
Resistor / DC lamp
Dry Hands
Wet Hands
Salted Wet Hands
Black Strip (probe tips are on the opposite ends)
Black Strip (probe tips are close together)

ANSWERS ON QUESTIONS A:

1.
2.
3.
4.

ANSWERS ON QUESTIONS B:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

ANSWERS ON QUESTIONS C:

1.
2.
3.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

CONCLUSION:
 Laboratory Report # 2
Familiarization with Laboratory Equipment and Instruments

Table 1.1 Voltmeter Reading

Multimeter Simulation

Battery (DC Source)

a. 9 V Battery 9.63V and -9.62 V 9V, -9V

b. Nickel Cadmium Battery 3.80V and -3.80V 3.7V, -3.7V

c.1.5 V Battery 1.627V and -1.627V 1.5V, -1.5V

Convenience outlet (AC Source) Multimeter Simulation

a. Convenience Outlet 234.8V and 234..3V 229.998V, 229.998V

Table 1.2 Ohmmeter Reading

Reading

Resistor / DC lamp 1/5.14 k/2.03M

Dry Hands 1000 Ohms

Wet Hands 55 Ohms

Salted Wet Hands 6.5 Ohms

Black Strip (probe tips are on the opposite ends) 50 Ohms

Black Strip (probe tips are close together) 6 Ohms

ANSWERS ON QUESTIONS A:

1. When you only touch one meter test probe to one end of a battery, it will display a
result of 0V. The results are uncertain because you have nothing to compare it with. On
some cases, you could get a result of infinity, or no connection at all, depending on the
model of the voltmeter. One must remember the concept that voltage is the potential
difference between two locations. We cannot measure voltage if we are only referring to
one single point.

2. To provide an indication, one must touch the positive (+) side of a battery with the red
test probe, and the negative (-) side of the same battery with the black test probe. By
doing this, an individual would notice some form of indication from the voltmeter.

3. Voltmeter is an instrument that measures the voltage of either a direct or an

alternating electric current in a circuit. On the other hand, voltage is measured as the
difference between electric potential at two different locations or points. One should
remember that voltage is relative. A circuit should have a ground – which is the
reference point in which everything else is compared to. Usually that's the negative
side/terminal of the power supply.

4. There is no such thing as voltage “on” or “at” the single point. As you recall, voltage is
always relative between two points and indicates the force that is pushing charges to
flow from one point to another.

ANSWERS ON QUESTIONS B:

1. Reversing the test probe connections on the resistor doesn’t change the meter’s
indication at all. It is because resistors don’t have polarity. They have no positive and
negative sides – you can measure them up in either direction and will provide readings
that are just the same.

2. From the given results, it can be noticed that resistors are linear elements that allow
current to flow in both directions. Aside from that, we also noticed that bigger the value
of a given resistor, the more it opposes the current flow. Every size, kind, and color of a
resistor has a corresponding value of resistivity. When it is measured, the value of a
resistor is given in Ohms.

3. If we touch only one probe to the resistor, the multimeter will not be able to measure
it. It is only possible to measure the resistance of any resistive component if we touch
both sides of the probes of the multimeter with the two sides of the resistive component
to measure the resistance accurately and without any error.

4. Resistor is a bilateral element in which current flows only when the circuit is complete.
The resistance is measured by touching both probes of multimeter. It calculates
Voltage/Current value by passing current. Hence Voltage/Current is resistance, which
was supported by the concept of Ohms Law.

5. On the given situations, touching the end of the battery with just one part of the test
probe will provide the same results as touching just one test probe to the resistor – they
will not work or even provide readings. Touching only one probe of multimeter with the
battery and resistor doesn't make the circuit complete.
ANSWERS ON QUESTIONS C:

1. The resistance value will decrease because the black strip is made of graphite, which
is a good conductor, and it will decrease even further if we tip it closer.
To use the probe, connect one end of the wire to the measuring device, and the other
end to the measurement element. The probe has a very low internal resistance. The
distance between the probe and the terminal has no effect on the resistance value,
which remains the same when the probe is connected across the terminal. In other
words, probe spacing has no effect on resistance value.

2. If the results are inconsistent, you need to redraw the mark with more and heavier
pencil strokes, so that it is consistent in its density.

3. The length of conductive material determines the resistance. When the length
increases while the area remains constant, the resistance will rise. Conductors are
materials that allow current to flow when a potential difference is applied, whereas
insulators prevent current flow even when a very high potential difference is applied.
Example, household objects that are conductors include metal objects like coins, jewelry
of silver and gold, iron cupboards, antennae, curtain rods, etc.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Voltmeters are always connected in parallel to the circuit or circuit part that has to be
measured. The voltage recorded by the meter will be the same as the voltage detected
by the element to which the meter is attached, because the voltage across two or more
parallel elements is the same. The electrical resistance between the terminals of an
ohmmeter is measured. If an ohmmeter is connected to an electrified circuit, the meter
may be damaged. Every time the resistance range is altered, the ohmmeter must be
zeroed properly each time.

CONCLUSION
A voltmeter is a device that measures the voltage of an electric current in a circuit,
whether it be direct or alternating. It calculates voltage as the difference in electric
potential between two points or places. The meter's indication is unaffected by reversing
the test probe connections on the resistor. Touching both probes of a multimeter to
determine the resistance of a resistive component. The circuit is not complete if only
one probe is touched with the battery and resistor. Because the black strip is composed
of graphite, which is an excellent conductor, the resistance value will drop.
 DOCUMENTATION:

PART A. VOLMETER USAGE

Simulation:

230V Nickel Lithium Battery (3.7V)

V Battery 9 V Battery

Simulation (Reverse Probe)

9V Battery Nickel Lithium Battery (3.7V)

Actual: 1.5V Battery AC Source 230V 60hz

Nickel Lithium Battery (3.7V) 9V Battery 1.5V Battery

AC Source 230V 60hz

Actual (Reverse Probe):

Nickel Lithium Battery (3.7V) 9V Battery 1.5V Battery

 AC Source 230V 60hz

PART B. OHMMETER USAGE

Touch the two test probes of the meter together.

Determine continuity between the plug and the outlet of the extension c
 1 Resistor

5 k Resistor

2 M Resistor

PART C.

cross the hands will be equal to the resistance of the body, which is parallel to the resistance formed by the wet layers of the hand. Thi
Water with a high salt or mineral content will have less resistance. As a result of this decrease in resistance, you'll be

Pencil is made of graphite and graphite is a good conductor.

 EENG 50 – CIRCUITS 1
First Semester A.Y. 2021-2022

Name: Student No.:

Course / Yr. / Sec.: Date:

RUBRICS for LABORATORY REPORT

Laboratory Title:

Needs
CRITERIA Excellent Good
Improvement
Un- acceptable Score
Submits the Submits the Submits the Submits the
Punctuality
Laboratory Laboratory Laboratory Report Laboratory
Report exactly Report after the after the day of the Report a week
on the right whole class class but not more after the time of
time. submits their than 4 days. the class and
report but within onwards.
the day of the
class.
(20 pts) (20) (19-11) (10-6) (5-0)
The data
The data obtained in The data
The data obtained in the
Presentation of the experiment was obtained in the
obtained in the experiment was
Data Obtain arranged as a list experiment is no
experiment is arranged on a
with no distinct way close to the
presented in a table but when
arrangement and topic of the
way that it is graph, it cannot
when graph, it experiment.
close to the be interpreted
cannot be
topic of the close to the
interpreted close to
experiment. topic. the topic.
(30pts)
(30)
(29-20) (19-11) (10-0)
The Most of the Some of the
Interpretation of The explanation
explanation explanation explanation given
the Results given was not
given was given was was related to the
related to the
related to the related to the topic of the
topic of the
topic of the topic of the experiment.
experiment.
experiment. experiment.
(30pts) (30) (29-20) (19-11) (10-0)
The report had
The report
Presentation of The report had plenty of erasures, The report
format has met
the Report erasures but the staple wires were format does not
all the
Laboratory order was intact. not covered but the meet all the
requirement.
Format (20) (9-8) order was intact. (7- requirement. (5)
(10) 6)

Final Score: