Physics LAB 3

MEASURING RESISTANCES USING THE

VOLTAMPERMETRIC METHOD
OBJECTIVE

 To learn how to set up and operate a voltamperometric measurement

system.
 To measure resistances using the voltamperometric method.
 To estimate errors and uncertainties in resistance measurements.
 To compare the measured resistances with their expected values based
on theoretical calculations.

THEORY :
Definition of a resistor
A resistor is an electrical component that hinders the flow of
electric current in a circuit. It's characterized by its electrical
resistance, which represents the extent of opposition to the current's
movement. Ohm's law, expressed as

𝑈 = 𝑅 .𝐼

Figure 1
U is the voltage across the resistor, R is the resistance, and I is the
current flowing through it, quantifies this relationship between voltage, resistance,
and current.

Principle of the voltampermetric method :

This method involves passing a current I through a resistor and measuring the
current I with an ammeter, as well as the voltage U across the resistor with a
voltmeter. This is a direct application of Ohm's Law. Depending on the position of
the voltmeter in relation to the ammeter, two circuit setups are possible to measure
VAB and I simultaneously:

Setups 1: Place the voltmeter in parallel with the resistor R: Short shunt
connection.

Setups 2: Place the voltmeter in parallel with the resistor R + ammeter: Long
shunt connection.
 Short shunt connection

 𝒓𝑨 : The internal resistance of the ammeter

 𝒓𝑽 : The internal resistance of the voltmeter
 Im : The current measured by the ammeter
 IV :The current passing through the voltmeter
 IR :The current passing through resistor R

Let Vm be the potential difference measured by the voltmeter: Vm=VAB.

𝑉𝐴𝐵
The actual resistance R to be measured is therefore: 𝑅= =
𝐼𝑅
𝑉𝑚
… … … … … … … … . (1)
𝐼𝑅
𝑽𝒎
Let = 𝑹𝒎 ; Rm represents the measured value of the resistance.
𝑰𝒎

So, from (1),

𝑉𝑚 𝑅𝑚 . 𝐼𝑚 𝑅𝑚 . (𝐼𝑉 + 𝐼𝑅 )
𝑅= = = … … … … … . (2)
𝐼𝑅 𝐼𝑅 𝐼𝑅
Knowing that:

𝑉𝑚 𝑅. 𝐼𝑅
𝐼𝑉 = = .
𝑟𝑉 𝑟𝑉
the equation (2) becomes:

𝑅. 𝐼
𝑅𝑚 . ( 𝑟 𝑅 + 𝐼𝑅 ) 𝑅
𝑉
𝑅= ⇒ 𝑅 = 𝑅𝑚 + 𝑅𝑚
𝐼𝑅 𝑟𝑉

Simplifying:
 𝒓𝑽 . 𝑹𝒎
𝑹= … … … … … … . (3)
𝒓𝑽 − 𝑹𝒎

From equation (2), we deduce that R > Rm……………………………..(4)

Long shunt connection

Let Rp be the equivalent resistance of R and 𝑟𝐴 in series (Figure 3):

𝑉𝑚
𝑅𝑃 = 𝑅 + 𝑟𝐴 =
𝐼𝑚

𝑉𝑚
𝑎𝑛𝑑 = 𝑅𝑚
𝐼𝑚

Hence 𝑹 = 𝑹𝒎 −𝒓𝑨 … … … … … … … … … … (5)

From equation (5), it follows that R < Rm……………………(6)

Systematic Error in Short shunt and long shunt connections

Systematic error is an unavoidable measurement error caused by the experimental

setup used to measure resistance R. It can be expressed either as absolute uncertainty
∆𝑅
∆R or as relative uncertainty .
𝑅

To the systematic error, other errors can be added:

 Random errors;
  Errors in measurement equipment.

A. Systematic Error in the Short Shunt Connection

As shown in (4),R > Rm : the actual value R is greater than the measured value Rm.

The expression for absolute error is then: 𝑅 = 𝑅𝑚 + ∆𝑅 ⇒ ∆𝑅 = 𝑅 − 𝑅𝑚

By substituting R with its expression from equation (3):

2
𝑟𝑉 . 𝑅𝑚 𝑅𝑚
∆𝑅 = − 𝑅𝑚 ⇒ C = ∆𝑅 =
𝑟𝑉 − 𝑅𝑚 𝑟𝑉 − 𝑅𝑚

The relative uncertainty :

2
𝑅𝑚
∆𝑅 𝑟𝑉 − 𝑅𝑚
=
𝑅 𝑅
2
𝑅𝑚
∆𝑅 𝑟𝑉 − 𝑅𝑚
=
𝑅 𝑟𝑉 . 𝑅𝑚
𝑟𝑉 − 𝑅𝑚

∆𝑹 𝑹𝒎
⇒ε= = … … … … … … … (7)
𝑹 𝒓𝑽

Note that as the resistance Rm becomes smaller in comparison to 𝑟𝑉 , the systematic

relative uncertainty decreases accordingly.

B. Systematic Error in the Long Shunt Connection

As shown in (6)R < Rm : the actual value R is smaller than the measured value Rm.

The expression for absolute error is then: 𝑅 = 𝑅𝑚 − ∆𝑅 ⇒ ∆𝑅 = 𝑅𝑚 − 𝑅

⇒ ∆𝑅 = 𝑅𝑚 − (𝑅𝑚 − 𝑅𝐴)

Hence: 𝐶 ′ = ∆𝑹 = 𝑹𝑨

Thus, the relative uncertainty will have the expression:

∆𝑹 𝑹𝑨
ε′ = = … … … … … . (9)
𝑹 𝑹
Note that Hence, as the resistance 𝑅𝐴 increases, the uncertainty decreases.

In addition to the systematic uncertainties due to the assemblies used, we can add
the uncertainties due to the measuring equipment:
 C. Uncertainties due to measuring equipment :

To calculate the uncertainty, we use the uncertainty on V , on I or on R

given in the manual for the multimeter used in the laboratory.

Measurement of resistances using the color code of a resistor

The values of resistors are marked on the body of the resistor using a series of
colored bands indicating the resistance value as well as the tolerance and sometimes

the temperature coefficient. This coding system has been designed and standardized.
The different colors correspond to specific numbers, while the band number
corresponds to different factors depending on the number of bands and their
placement. Figure 4 below shows the value of a four-band resistor and the color
chart.The value of low-power resistors (less than 5W) is generally indicated in the
form of a code made up of 4, 5 or 6 colored rings, as shown in figure below:

How to Interpret the Resistor Colour Code:

 Hold the resistor with the tolerance band positioned to your right. This
band, typically gold or silver, is slightly separated from the other bands.
  Starting from the left, record the colors of all the bands and list them in
order.
 Then, consult the provided table to determine which digits they
represent.
 The band adjacent to the tolerance band serves as the multiplier band.
For example, if this band is Red (representing 2), the value indicated is 102.

MANIPULATIONS :

Equipment used :

 A variable DC voltage generator (use 10V)

 Ammeter and voltmeter
 Three resistors RC (of known value), RX1 and RX2 (of unknown
value)
 A terminal box
 Connection files
 Multimeter manuals available in the laboratory.
1. Work to be carried out :

a) Measure the two resistors, RX1 and RX2, using the two assemblies
shown in Figure 2 and 3, and complete Table 1.
b) Determine the value claimed by the manufacturer for each resistor,
with their uncertainties, and transfer the results to Table 2.
c) Measure each resistor with an ohmmeter, calculating their
uncertainties and transferring the results to Table 2.
d) By comparing the relative systematic uncertainties in Table 1, select
the most suitable circuit (upstream or downstream) for measuring the
resistors RX1 and RX2.
e) Choose the most suitable circuit to plot the characteristic of resistor
RC.
f) Vary the voltage across the generator from 0 to 10V and complete
Table 3, (U is the voltage across RC and I is the current flowing through
it).Draw the graph U= f(I), plotting the error rectangles; and deduce the
value of RC .

short bypass long bypass

Table 1
RX1 RX2 RX1 RX2
Cal(I)

Im
 Cal(U)

Um

RV

RA

Rm

C or C’

∆Im/Im

∆Um/Um

∆Rm/Rm

∆R/R= 

Table 2 R ∆R ∆R/R
RX1
Color code
RX2
RX1
Ohmmeter
RX2

Table 3

U(V)
I(A)
∆𝐔(V)
∆𝐈(A)