Adama Science and Technology University

School of Electrical Engineering and Computing

Course Title: Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering
Course Number: PCE2101
Lab: Laboratory Experiment No - 1
Title: Basic Electric Measurements and Measuring Resistance

Prepared by:
Name ID No.
1. Daniel Addisu R/0331/08
2. Daniel Zenebe R/0341/08
3. Debebe Asefa R/0368/08
4. Dejene Tesfaye R/0375/08
5. Duguma Yeshitla R/0394/08
6. Edget Negussie R/0399/08

Submitted to: Tewdros

Date of conduction: November 4, 2016

Date of submission: November 11, 2016
 Acknowledgement
We would like to acknowledge our lab assistant Tewdros for his support and explanation in the
laboratory. Through the group work and experiment we were able to comprehend the topics
that were raised and able to communicate with each other well.

Theoretical Background
Resistance is the opposition to conductance and is the property of a material to hold back, or
restrict, the flow of current. It is encountered in every electrical circuit. Metals generally are
good conductors, having many free electrons and, therefore, they exhibit low resistance.
Insulators, on the other hand, have few free electrons making them poor conductors, exhibiting
very high resistance. The resistance (R) of a material depends upon four factors:
– It’s specific resistance.
– Its length
– It’s cross-sectional area.
– Its temperature.

There are two common types of resistors. These are the composition resistor, which contains
carbon, and the wire-wound resistor, which consists of a coil of wire. Values of resistors in ohms
are normally indicated by color coding as shown in the table below. The first two colors on a
resistor give the first two digits in the resistance value, with the decimal place to the right of the
second digit. The third color represents the power of 10 for the multiplier of the resistance
value. The last color is the tolerance of the resistance value.

Table: Color Coding for Resistors

When a current flows through a resistance, a voltage or pressure drop is created. This loss of
voltage, known as “Voltage Drop” (V), is equal to the product of the current and resistance. An
individual voltage drop is expressed as V = I x R, where V is measured in Volts, I in amps and R in
Ohms.
The relationship of resistance, current and voltage is given by Ohm’s LAW which states that the
current in an electrical circuit is directly proportional to the voltage and inversely proportional
to the resistance: I = V/R.

Lab – 1: Basic Electric Measurements and Measuring Resistance

Objectives:

 To be able to identify types of resistors and determining the resistance using color
coding.
 To determine the operation of the instruments and Basic Measurements.

Apparatus Used:

 Carbon Resistors (Fixed Resistors)

 Variable Resistors (Rheostat)
 Digital Multimeter (DMM)
 Connectors
 DC power supply

Procedures
i. Measuring Resistance with a Digital Multimeter (DMM)
I. Firstly we brought and putted the resistor to be measured in a suitable and
appropriate position.
II. Then we plugged the probes of the DMM in the right position. Meaning that the
black cable goes into the “COM” port. And the remaining port goes in to the port
that measures resistance.
III. Then we adjusted the meter to resistance measuring and adjust the region.
IV. Following this we connected the probes to the two ends of the resistor. Here it
does not matter which probe is assigned to which end if the resistor.
V. Then we attentively watched the reading that the DMM gives. Here the following
may occur:
a. The reading maybe “1”. This simply means either we haven’t connected
the probes to the resistor or the resistor does not work.
b. We may get a reading that is very small or very large. Here we must
adjust the range we have set for measuring. If the reading is small then
we have to increase our range and decrease it if the reading is very large.
c. We may get a good reading.
ii. Measuring Voltage with a DMM
1. First we formed a complete circuit containing a DC source and a resistor.
2. Just like we did while measuring resistance, here also we plugged the probes in
the correct ports of the DMM. And adjusted the meter in the region of
measuring voltage.
3. Then we putted the two ends of the probes at the two ends of the resistor
connecting the meter in parallel to the resistor. This is because the meter
measures the voltage across the resistor and thus should be parallel.
4. Then we watched the reading of the DMM. During this step the following may
occur:
i. We may see a reading that displays “1”. This simply means that we
haven’t connected the probes to the resistor or we didn’t form a
complete circuit or the resistor doesn’t work.
ii. We may see a reading that is negative. Here that mistake we have done is
connecting the DMM in the wrong polarity to the voltage source. This
mistake doesn’t affect our reading, it just makes it negative.
iii. Just like in the experiment involving the resistor, here also we may get a
reading that is very small or very large. This can be corrected by adjusting
the region of measuring on the DMM.
iv. We may get a good reading.

iii. Measuring Current with a DMM

1. At the beginning we brought a DC source, a resistor and a DMM.
2. Then we connected the positive part of the source to the positive probe of the
meter. Then the negative probe of the DMM was connected to the resistor.
Following this we connected the resistor to the negative part of the source. This
was done because an ammeter (DMM) measures a current through the
conductor so the meter doing the measurement should be a part of the circuit
being measured.
3. Then we checked whether we are in the region of measuring current on the
DMM. And we also checked if the probes were attached to the right port on the
DMM.
4. After this we carefully watched as the DMM displays the reading. The reading
may be one of the following:
i. The reading might be “1”. This simply means that either our circuit is not
complete or the resistor does not work.
ii. Just like the previous experiments the reading might be either very large
or small. To solve this we simply have to adjust the range of measuring in
the DMM.
iii. We may get a good reading.
 Result and Discussion
From the experiments we have done we have obtained the following measurements.

Measuring the Resistance of given resistors

Resistance R1 (Ω ) R2 (Ω ) R3 (Ω )
Calculated value 680 ± 34 330 ± 16.5 470 ± 23.5
Measured value 691 324 465

Measuring Resistance of a Rheostat by

varying length
Length Measured Value (Ω )
0 0.00
L1 5.41
L2 1.136 × 103
Also the following results were obtained from our experiments.
 By using a 10 V DC power supply, we read 11.19 V on a resistor connected to the power
supply. The upset on the reading was due to errors that occurred when adjusting the DC
power supply to 10 V.
 Also by using the same power supply (10V) and resistor we read a current of 16.4 mA.

Questions
1. What’s wrong with holding the leads and probes between your fingers?
If there is a current or voltage source this will create a current that will pass through us. The
danger of such event depends on the amount of the current. However, it is not advisable to
have any amount of current flow through our body.

2. Measure the resistance value of the rheostat by varying the position what
do you observe and does the resistance value vary? What is the
relationship between the length of the coil and resistor value?
When we varied the position, the resistance of the rheostat also becomes varied. When the
length taken becomes larger the resistance also goes higher. Meaning the increasing the length
results in an increase of the resistance. So the length and resistance have a direct relationship.

3. Measure the resistance value by varying the knob. Does the resistance
vary? What is the maximum value?
As mentioned in question number 2, when we varied the knob of the rheostat, the resistance
also changes. The maximum resistance is acquired at maximum length. And the maximum
resistance is 2850Ω .

4. What is your conclusion about today’s lab experiment?

After gaining the experience of working with a Digital Multimeter and various electronic
components we have observed the following:
I. Never connect an Ammeter in parallel with an element being measured. The
Ammeter will become damaged.
II. Always check and regulate the power source before connecting it to the circuit we
are working on. This is to avoid any damages that may result from an unregulated
power source.
III. Always come prepared for the laboratory sessions. This includes wearing
appropriate cloth and shoes, not touching elements that we are unfamiliar with,
IV. Being cautious when plugging in power source and ports. This include the probes we
use to measure resistance, current or voltage. Here we must be careful of which
ports of the Multimeter we are using when doing measurements.
V. When we get a reading of “1”, this means that either our circuit is not complete or
the element we are currently working on is not functional.
VI. After finishing up our experiments, we are expected to turn off any power supplies
and return the apparatus we used to their places.

References
 Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics, R. A. Serway and J. W. Jewett
 Module – 3: Electrical Fundamentals, Aviation Maintenance Technicians’ School (AMTS)

“We have neither received nor provided any help on the writing of this lab report.”
Daniel Addisu _____________
Daniel Zenebe _____________

Debebe Asefa _____________

Dejene Tesfaye _____________

Duguma Yeshitla _____________
Edget Negussie _____________
Thank you!