Lab 5A: AC Network Theorems

A. Objectives

• Investigate the Superposition Theorem and Thevenin’s Theorem for AC circuits.

B. Background

Experiment 1: AC Superposition Theorem

A.1 Objective
To verify the Superposition Theorem in an AC circuit.

B.1 Theory
Please refer to the Background section.

C.1 Apparatus

Components Instruments
• Resistors: 1×1kΩ • 1× Trainer Board
• Capacitors: 1×1µF • 1× Audio Generator
• 1× Function Generator
• Inductor: 1x330µH
• 1× Dual Channel Oscilloscope
• 1× Digital Multimeter
• Connecting wires and probes

L1 C1

330µH
1µF

VS1
R1 VS2
2Vpk
1kΩ 4Vpk
5kHz
0° 5kHz
0°

Original circuit with both sources

 L1 C1

330µH
1µF

VS1
R1
2Vpk
1kΩ
5kHz
0°

Fig: Source 1 only

L1 C1

330µH
1µF

R1 VS2
1kΩ 4Vpk
5kHz
0°

Fig: Source 2 only

E.1 Data Sheet: Lab 5, Experiment 1

Date: 18/3/2022 Points:

Remarks: Signature of the
Instructor

Student Information

Section:2 Group: 11 Status:

Names: Farhan Labib Rashid
ID-2112483625
Toky Tahmid Efty ID-2121103643
Lubna Islam ID-2121233643
Sohana Akter Shoshi ID-2121098643

E.1.1 Table 1.1: Nominal and measured values of the components

R1(Ω) C1(F) L1(H)
Nominal 1000 1µ 330µ
Measured 1000 1µ 330µ

E.1.2 Table 1.2: Magnitudes and phases of VR1

Delay ΔT θ (Practical)
|Vpeak|
(Practical) [ΔT x f x 360]
(Practical)

Source 1& 2 1.02 0 0

Source 1 2.97 0 0

Source 2 -1.94 100 180°

For both the sources

For source 1
For source 2

Time difference for source 2

E.1.3 Table 1.3: Applying the Superposition principle on the measured values
(a) (b) %Difference |VR1| %Difference | θ |
(c) VR1(Source 1) + (d) VR1(Both
VR1(Source VR1(Source 𝒅 − 𝒄 𝒅 − 𝒄
VR1(Source 2)[a + b] Sources) [ × 100] [ × 100]
1) 2) 𝒅 𝒅
2.97V -1.94V 1.03V 1.02V 0.98% 0%
G.1 Questions

1. Why did we need to measure the phase angle along with the peak voltage for this
experiment? Could the superposition principle for an AC circuit be proved using the peak
voltage only? Explain your answer using an example.

Ans1 No, the superposition theorem for an AC circuit cannot be proved using the peak voltage
only. We need to find the phase difference in order to find the sign of the voltage. For example,
if the phase difference is 0°, the voltage is positive and if the phase difference is 180°, the
voltage is negative. Thus, we need the phase angles too.

2. In case of the circuit with both sources (Fig. D.1.1), sketch what the waveshape of
VR1would look like if source 2 was set at 50kHz instead of 5kHz.

Ans2

3. Do the practical readings you obtained confirm the theoretical values? If any of the
percentage differences are above 10%, suggest 3 possible reasons for the discrepancy.

Ans3 Since we did the experiment using multisim, the percentage difference is almost zero
and the practical readings confirmed the theoretical values.
Experiment 2: AC Thevenin’s Theorem
A.2 Objective
To verify the Thevenin’s Theorem in an AC circuit.

B.2 Theory
Please refer the Background section.

C.2 Apparatus
Components Instruments
• Resistors: 1×1kΩ,1×1.2kΩ, 1×2.2kΩ • 1× Trainer Board
• 1× Function Generator
• Capacitors: 1×0.1µF
• 1× Digital Multimeter
• Variable Resistor: 1 • 1× Dual Channel Oscilloscope
• Connecting wires and probes

R1 R2

1.2kΩ 2.2kΩ

VS
3Vpk RL
1kHz C1
1kΩ
0° 0.1µF

Fig: Original circuit

E.2 Data Sheet: Lab 5, Experiment 2

Date: 18/3/2022 Points:

Remarks: Signature of the
Instructor

Student Information
Section:2 Group:11 Status:

E.2.1 Table 2.1: Component Values

C1
R1 (measured)(Ω) R2 (measured)(Ω) RL (measured)(Ω) XC (Theory)
(measured)(F)
1200 2200 1000 0.1µ 1591.5
Table 2.2: Load voltage comparison

V load (measured) V load (measured) % Deviation

Original(V) Thevenin(V) (Original-Thevenin)
0.422 0.412 2.37%

Load voltage measured from the original circuit

Open circuit Thevenin voltage (VTh)

Table 2.3 Thevenin voltage and impedance comparison
(b) Measured

3125
ZThevenin (Ω)

1.692
EThevenin (V)

Voltage across sense resistor

Phase difference

Calculations
Phase angle=34x10-6x1000x360=12.24o
VRs=128mV
IRs=128 mV/100Ω=1.28 mA
ZTH=4V/1.28mA=3.125 KΩ
XCTH= ZTH Sin𝜃=(3.125)(Sin12.24o)= 0.663 KΩ
XCTH =1/2πfCTH =1/6.28*1000 *CTH
= > 0.663*1000=1/6.28*1000 * CTH
= > CTH=1/6.28*1000*0.663*1000 F
= > CTH=1/6.28*0.663 uF
= > CTH=1/6.28*0.663 uF
CTH=0.24uF

RTH= ZTH(c𝒐𝒔𝜃)=(3.125)(cos12.24o)= 3.05 KΩ

Thevenin circuit

RTh CTh

3.05kΩ 0.24µF XMM1

VTh
1.692Vrms
1kHz RL
0° 1kΩ

Load voltage from Thevenin Circuit

G.2 Questions
1. What extra components did you need to construct the Thevenin’s equivalent circuit? Did
you face any difficulty constructing the circuit in the lab? If so, how were those issues
resolved?

Ans1 We had to use an extra voltage source and a sense resistor to calculate the input
current so that we could find the Thevenin impedance which we then used to find RTh and
CTh using some formulas. We did the experiment in multisim, so we did not face any
difficulty constructing the circuit.

2. Why was an oscilloscope used to measure the values required to calculate Z Thevenin instead
of a DMM?

Ans2 The oscilloscope was used to measure the voltage across the sense resistor which we
divided by the sense resistance to find the input current. We then divided the input voltage
by the input current to find ZTh. We cannot use the DMM to measure ZTh directly and it also
gives RMS values only. We can also calculate the phase difference by finding the time
difference using an oscilloscope. The phase angle and ZTh is then used to find RTh and
CTh using formulas. A DMM cannot measure time difference.

3. Would the procedure used to determine the Thevenin’s equivalent circuit change if the
capacitor in the original circuit was replaced with an inductor?

Ans3 No, the procedure will remain the same but the formula to find LTh will be different.

4. Do the practical readings you obtained confirm the theoretical values? If any of the
percentage differences are above 10%, suggest 3 possible reasons for the discrepancy.

Ans4 No, there are no discrepancies as all the percentage differences are below 10%.

Discussion:
In lab 5, we have proved both superposition theorem and
Thevenin’s theorem.

For the superposition theorem we measured the voltage across

a resistor by keeping the two voltage sources at first. Then we
removed one source at a time and measured the voltage
across that resistor. The algebraic sum of the voltages equaled
to the voltage that we found by keeping the two voltage
sources. We used an oscilloscope to find the voltages and the
phase angles. Since we did everything on multisim, the
percentage error was almost zero.

For Thevenin’s theorem we have calculated the load voltage

from the original circuit using a DMM. Then we calculated the
Thevenin voltage, VTh by removing the load resistor and
placing a DMM across the circuit. Then we removed the
original voltage source and added a new voltage source in
place of the load resistor. We added a sense resistor to find the
input current in the circuit due to the new voltage source. In
order to find the input current, we had to measure the voltage
across the sense resistor using an oscilloscope which we then
divided by the sense resistance. The oscilloscope was also
used to find the time difference, which we then used to find the
phase angle.
Then we divided the new input voltage by the input current to
find the thevenin impedance, ZTh. Then we used ZTh and
theta in some formulas to calculate RTh and CTh to complete
our Thevenin circuit. Then we used a DMM to calculate the
voltage across the load resistor in the Thevenin circuit, which
was very close to the voltage measured in the original circuit.
The percentage error was almost zero as we did the
experiment on multisim.