Laboratory Experiment No.

2
Series RLC Circuits
I. DISCUSSION
Resistance and impedance both represent opposition to the flow of
the alternating current. Both are measured in terms of the same unit, the
ohm. To determine the magnitude of the total impedance, get the sum of
the impedance of each of the elements in series. As long as all the
necessary calculations are carried out by vector algebra, use the two
relationships studied earlier under DC circuits.
The total impedance may not always increase with the addition of
another element in series. Capacitive reactance could cancel out inductive
reactance and vice versa. An extreme case would have the capacitive
reactance completely cancelling out the inductive reactance. This results
in resonance high voltages and current could result.

II. OBJECTIVES
The activity aims to:
1. Determine the resistance, inductance and capacitance by a voltage
and current measurements.
2. Compare measured and calculated voltages and current for a series
RLC circuit.
3. Determine the impedance of a given circuit to compare the measure
value to calculated value of a given circuit.
III. MATERIALS
 100 w Lamp  AC ammeter
 5 uf Capacitor  AC supply
 2.5372 H Inductor  Multisim
 AC voltmeter
IV. PROCEDURE
A. RLC Circuit
a. Build the circuit given in figure 1 on Multisim.

Figure 1
b. Measure the total current and the current across the lamp,
across 2.5372 H inductor and across the 5uF capacitor. To
measure the total current, refer to figure 2a. Record the current
reading at table 1. Repeat the steps for the current lamp, 2.5372
H inductor and 5uF capacitor. Refer to figure 2b, 2c and 2d.

Figure 2A
 Figure 2B

Figure 2C

Figure 2D

c. Measure the
voltage eT , eR , eL and eC. To measure the voltage eT refer to
figure 3a. Record the data at table 2. Repeat the step for the
lamp, inductor and capacitor. Refer for the figure 3b, 3c and 3d.

Figure 3A
 Figure 3B

Figure 3C

Figure 3D
d. Using Ohm’s Law, compute the voltage and current for each
component. Record it at Table 1 and 2. Use the formula
eR e e
R= ; X L= L ; X C= c
iR iL ic

Vt
Z=
It
 e. Compute the magnitude and phase angle of the impedance
using the equation Z’ = R –jXc + jXl, where Xl = 2 πfL and Xc =
1/2 πfC . Use the 4 uF for the value of and 2.5372 H inductor for
the value of L.
f. Compute the percent difference between the measure and the
computed value of the impedance.

Table 1: Simulation and Computation Result of Voltage of

Series RLC Circuit
Voltage (V) R L C Total
Workbench
Computation
% Difference

Table 2: Simulation and Computation Result of Current of

Series RLC Circuit
Current (A) R L C Total
Workbench
Computation
% Difference

V. ANALYSIS
A. Questions
a. Do the workbench and computational values of voltages and
currents agree?
B. The condition that it will occur when there is both inductive and capacitive
reactance. When one of impedance was resistive-inductive and other
 impedance was resistive-capacitive, then the effective impedance could be
not more than that of either one by itself. Despite the fact that impedances
add in series, the total or sum in series is less than could be less either of
the inductive or capacitive impedances alone. It is because series inductive
and capacitive impedances tend to cancel each other out. At that point the
total current in that circuit must be higher than what it would be with as it
were the capacitive or only the inductive components there. Having
unusually high current through every one of the components, the voltages
higher than the voltage source might be obtained across some of the
individual components.

C. Problems
a. Under what conditions could the total impedance of two
impedances in series be less than that of either one by itself?
The condition that it will occur when there is both inductive and
capacitive reactance. When one of impedance was resistive-inductive
and other impedance was resistive-capacitive, then the total impedance
could be less than that of either one by itself. It because series inductive
and capacitive impedances tend to cancel each other out. At that
point the total current in that circuit must be higher than what it would
be with as it were the capacitive or only the inductive components there.
Having unusually high current through every one of the components, the
voltages higher than the voltage source might obtained across some of
the individual components.

because where the two reactances partially or totally cancel each other

b. Given the magnitude of two impedances in series, why can’t

the total impedance of these two impedance is series be
calculated
 Despite the fact that impedances add in series, the total impedance for a
circuit containing both inductance and capacitance may be less than one or
more of the individual impedances, because series inductive and
capacitive impedances tend to cancel each other out. This may lead to voltage
drops across

VI. CONCLUSION
When the two contrary impedances are added in series, the sum or total
impedance in a series circuit with both inductive and capacitive elements is
will be more likely not more than either of the individual impedances. Despite
the fact that they add in series, the two reactances partially or totally cancel
other. Furthermore, this may cause to a voltage drops across components
exceeding the supply voltage.

The reason why the total impedance of the magnitude of two impedances is
can’t be calculated in series because impedance is opposition to the current
flow in an alternating current circuit because of resistance, capacitance and
inductance. Each impedance has resistive and reactive component. When
working in AC and there is resistor, inductor and capacitor in the mix it
can’t simply combine two impedance that has different direction by adding
the two magnitudes. Another thing when the two impedances are in
opposite and has equal phasor then the effects of two impedance will be
partially or totally cancelled by one another.

The effects of two impedance will partially or totally cancel each other. When
the two impedances are opposite and have equal phasor it will be cancelled by
one another. Another one I

And each impedance has resistive and reactive elements It is a combine

effects of ohmic resistance and reactance in a circuit. By just having the
 magnitude it will be difficult to tell if it has capacitive, inductive or
resistive behavior.

Notice something strange here: although our supply voltage is only 120 volts,
the voltage across the capacitor is 137.46 volts! How can this be? The answer
lies in the interaction between the inductive and capacitive reactances.
Expressed as impedances, we can see that the inductor opposes current in a
manner precisely opposite that of the capacitor. Expressed in rectangular
form, the inductor’s impedance has a positive imaginary term and the
capacitor has a negative imaginary term.
When these two contrary impedances are added (in series), they tend to
cancel each other out! Although they’re still added together to produce a sum,
that sum is actually less than either of the individual (capacitive or inductive)
impedances alone.
It is analogous to adding together a positive and a negative (scalar) number:
the sum is a quantity less than either one’s individual absolute value.
If the total impedance in a series circuit with both inductive and capacitive
elements is less than the impedance of either element separately, then the
total current in that circuit must be greater than what it would be with only the
inductive or only the capacitive elements there.
With this abnormally high current through each of the components, voltages
greater than the source voltage may be obtained across some of the
individual components! Further consequences of inductors’ and capacitors’
opposite reactances in the same circuit will be explored in the next chapter.
Once you’ve mastered the technique of reducing all component values to
impedances (Z), analyzing any AC circuit is only about as difficult as analyzing
any DC circuit, except that the quantities dealt with are vector instead of a
scalar.