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Week 9 Lab- Circuits

The lab focuses on exploring series and parallel circuits using PHET simulations, where students set up circuits, measure voltage, current, and resistance, and observe the effects of adding or removing bulbs. In series circuits, adding bulbs decreases brightness while increasing voltage makes them shine brighter, whereas in parallel circuits, adding bulbs does not affect the brightness of others. The conclusion highlights that voltage, current, and resistance behave differently in series and parallel configurations, aligning with Ohm's Law.

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rowen prather
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7 views

Week 9 Lab- Circuits

The lab focuses on exploring series and parallel circuits using PHET simulations, where students set up circuits, measure voltage, current, and resistance, and observe the effects of adding or removing bulbs. In series circuits, adding bulbs decreases brightness while increasing voltage makes them shine brighter, whereas in parallel circuits, adding bulbs does not affect the brightness of others. The conclusion highlights that voltage, current, and resistance behave differently in series and parallel configurations, aligning with Ohm's Law.

Uploaded by

rowen prather
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Circuits Lab Name: _Rowen Prather_____

Purpose: In this lab you will discover the following:

Series:
1. Set up a simple circuit.
2. Test the voltage of the battery.
3. Find the resistance of each bulb.
4. Test the current throughout to see if it stays constant.
5. Test the voltage at each spot.

Parallel:
1. Set up a simple parallel circuit.
2. Test the voltage.
3. Test the current at each bulb.
4. Test the resistance of each bulb.

We will be using the PHET simulation for this experiment.


https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-dc

Part 1: Series

1. Set up a series with 1 light bulb - look at the brightness of the light.
2. Now change it to 2 light bulbs - look at the brightness of the light.
3. Disconnect one of the light bulbs: What happens to the other light bulb?

The light bulb goes off cause the circuit is now open and current can not flow through
4. Now add another light bulb.

Explain how the brightness changes of the light bulbs when more were added:
The total amount of voltage can only create a maximum amount of light. So by adding more
bulbs you decrease the amount that is emitted from each but not the total amount

5. Now add another battery to the circuit.

What happens when this occurs?

There is more voltage in the circuit so the bulbs shine brighter

Set the light bulb to the following resistance that is indicated in the chart and take the current and
voltage readings.

Testing Data:

Bulb 1 Bulb 2 Bulb 3 Total

Voltage V 4 6 8 18
Current A .4 .4 .4 .4

Resistance Ω 10 15 20 45

Does all the data collect obey Ohm’s Law in a series? Explain.

Yes all of the data obey ohm’s law. The total voltage divided by the total resistance gets you the current
which is .4. and the current across each of the bulbs is also .4.

Part 2: Parallel

1. Set up a parallel with 2 light bulbs - look at the brightness of the light.
2. Now change it to 3 light bulbs - look at the brightness of the light.
3. Disconnect one of the light bulbs: What happens to the other light bulb?
Nothing appears to happen

4. Now add another light bulb.

Explain how the brightness changes of the light bulbs when more were added:

Nothing appears to happen when you add more bulbs

5. Now add another battery to the circuit.

What happens when this occurs?


The bulbs all get brighter

Set the light bulb to the following resistance that is indicated in the chart and take the current and
voltage readings.

Bulb 1 Bulb 2 Bulb 3 Total

Voltage V 18 18 18 18

Current A 1.8 1.2 .9 3.9

Resistance Ω 10 15 20 45
Does all the data collect obey Ohm’s Law in a parallel? Explain.

Yes this data obeys ohm’s law. The voltage doesn’t differ across the different branches of the circuit

Part 3:

A. Now, I want you to design a circuit where you have 1 light stay on and 2 lights go off with a
touch of 1 switch. Screenshot your design after you have tested it to make sure it works (or take
a picture and upload it)
B. Design a combination circuit (must include both series and parallel) with 4 light bulbs. In this
circuit, 3 must stay on and 1 light goes off with the switch.
Conclusion:

Did your tests come out close to what you expected? Summarize your findings for both series and
parallel. Include what happens with voltage, current, and resistance.

The tests results were as expected due to the how both the parallel and series circuits work. Voltage in a
series adds up the total while In parallel the voltage across each branch is equal to the voltage. The
current in a series curcit stays the same though out the circuit while in a parallel circuit all the branches
combined make up the total current. Resistance is calculated differently if the resisterors are in series or
parallel.

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