Basic Circuits and Ohm's Law

OBJECTIVES:

1. To learn how to draw circuit diagrams using the appropriate shorthand symbols
for circuit elements.

2. To understand the concept of resistance and be able to adjust the resistance on a

Rheostat in Ohms [Ω].

3. To learn how to use an analog ammeter to measure current in an electrical

circuit.

4. To learn how to use a digital multimeter (DMM) to measure voltage in an

electrical circuit.

5. To learn the about series and parallel connections.

6. To experimentally derive and discover Ohm’s “Law”.

Part I – Ammeters and Voltmeters

Materials Needed:
• 1 Power Supply
• 1– 2.4-volt flashlight bulb with ceramic socket
• 1 switch
• 1 ammeter
• 1 voltmeter (DMM)
• Several “Alligator” and “Banana” clip connecting wires.

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Activity #1 – Circuit Diagrams

It is rather difficult and time consuming to draw or sketch the actual size, shape,
and detail of various circuit elements. The following symbols or icons provide a
method to quickly, easily, and accurately draw a circuit diagram that corresponds to
a particular physical layout. These are some of the more common elements that are
used in lab exercises but certainly do not include all elements.

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A. The diagram below shows one battery in a battery holder, two light bulbs in
ceramic sockets, and a switch connected together by several wires. In the space
to the right, draw the corresponding circuit diagram for this physical layout.

B. The diagram below shows the exact same circuit elements as in part A. Again,
draw the corresponding circuit diagram for this physical layout in the space
below.

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Activity #2 – Electric Current

In general, electric current is defined as the flow of electric charge (i.e. electrons)
through a wire. Conventional current flow is from the positive (+), or high voltage,
terminal of a battery, to the negative (–), or low voltage, terminal of a battery.
Actual current flow is just the reverse direction.

More specifically, electric current is the amount of charge that passes a particular
location in an electric circuit per unit time. Mathematically, this is displayed as

Q
I=
t ,

where I represents current, Q charge, and t time. The units on electric current are
Coulombs [C] per second [s] which is defined as an Ampere [A] or simply Amps.

A. If two million electrons pass a particular location in a circuit during a time

interval of 1.5 milliseconds [ms], calculate the amount current, in Amps, that is
created. Show your work.
Next, convert this value to millAmps [mA]. Note: 1 mA = 1.0 x 10–3 A.

An ammeter is a device used to measure electric current in a circuit.

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B. The toggle switch on the ammeter must be set to =. The 0 terminal (in Black)
on the ammeter must be connected closer to the negative (–) terminal of the
power supply. The 0.05, 0.5, or 5 (in Red) must be connected closer to the
positive (+) terminal of the power supply. The question is: Which scale should
you start with? As a general rule:

One should always start with the largest scale first and work their way
down.

The goal is to acquire the most precise reading without damaging the meter. If your
circuit is designed to create 1.50 Amps of current and the ammeter is connected to
the 0.05 or 0.5 scale, then your meter will be damaged; in most instances,
permanently!

C. Using approximately 1.3 Volts on the power supply, construct the circuit that is
pictured below.

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Note: Ask a Staff member to check your connections before closing the switch.

Once this is done, observe the reading on the ammeter and record your value,
along with the correct units, and the scale used in the space below.

Ammeter
Reading =
(Two Decimal
Places)

Scale Used:

Current
In Amps =

D. Draw a circuit diagram that corresponds to the physical layout above.

E. Remove the ammeter and reconnect the circuit. Observe the brightness of the
light bulb. How does the brightness of the light bulb compare to when the
ammeter was connected in the circuit? What does this tell you about the
resistance of the ammeter?

F. Describe the type of connection (i.e., series, parallel, other) the ammeter makes
with the light bulb.

Activity #3 – Electric Potential

The terms ‘Electric Potential’, ‘Electric Potential Difference’, ‘Potential Difference’,

‘Potential’, and ‘Voltage’ all refer to the same property and are all measured in Volts
[V]. In this next exercise, we want to measure the difference in voltage between two
locations in our circuit, specifically the two terminals of our light bulb.

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A voltmeter is a device used to measure the electric potential difference between
two locations in a circuit. For our experiment, we will use a digital multimeter
(DMM) to measure the voltage as you did in the introduction lab. Later in this
experiment, we will use it to measure electrical resistance.

G. Construct the circuit that is pictured below.

Note: Ask a Staff member to check your connections before closing the switch.

Once this is done, observe the reading on the multimeter (i.e., voltmeter) and
record your value, along with the correct units, and the scale you used in the
space below.

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Voltmeter Reading =

Scale Used:

Voltage
In Volts =

H. Draw a circuit diagram that corresponds to the physical layout above.

I. Remove the multimeter (i.e., voltmeter) and reconnect the circuit. Observe the
brightness of the light bulb. How does the brightness of the light bulb compare
to when the voltmeter was connected in the circuit? What does tell you about
the resistance of the voltmeter?

J. Describe the type of connection (series, parallel, other) the voltmeter makes with
the light bulb.

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 Part II – Ohms “Law”

Materials Needed:

• Power Supply
• 1 Rheostat
• 1 switch
• 1 ammeter
• 1 voltmeter (DMM)
• Several “Alligator” and “Banana” clip connecting wires.

Activity #1 – Predictions

In this activity, we will attempt to experimentally derive a relationship between the

current traveling through a circuit element, the resistance of this circuit element,
and the voltage across the circuit element. The current will be abbreviated using an
‘I’, the resistance a ‘R’, and the voltage a ‘V’. We are assuming that the
relationships between V and R & V and I, are linear.

A. If the resistance in a circuit is held constant, predict what will happen to the
current traveling through the circuit as the voltage is increased?

B. What is the simplest mathematical relationship that would describe the

relationship you predicted in part A? (e.g., I α V, I α V–1, I α V2, I α V–2, etc.)

Activity #2 – Developing Ohm’s “Law”

A. Construct a circuit with a Power Supply, an Ammeter, a switch, and a Rheostat

set to 20 Ω.

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B. Once you have connected the circuit, read the values of current (I) from your
ammeter and voltage (V) from your DMM meter. Enter your results in the table
below. Repeat the experiment for 1.2 Volts, 2.4 Volts, 3.6 Volts, 4.8 Volts, and
6.0 Volts by increasing the Power Supply voltage in the series circuit.

Power Current Voltage

Supply Ammeter Ammeter Scale Through Across
Settings in Reading Used Resistor in Resistor in
Volts [V] Amps [A] Volts [V]

1.2

2.4

3.6

4.8

6.0

C. Sketch a circuit diagram of the Power Supply, an Ammeter, a switch, a

voltmeter, and the Rheostat in the space below.

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D. Graph the current and voltage data you collected in part B using Logger Pro.
Plot the data table above using the Logger Pro software program on the desktop
of your computer. Enter current in Amperes [A] for ‘X’ and Voltage in Volts [V]
for ‘Y’.

E. Next, select ‘Linear Fit’. The data points you plotted should fall very close to a
straight line. If they do not, return to part B and check your measurements again.
Record the slope of this line with the correct units below. Recall that the slope of a
line is defined as “Rise/Run” or the change in the vertical variable divided by the
change in the horizontal variable.

F. How does the value of your slope compare to the value of your resistor in your
circuit?

G. How does your result compare with your prediction in Part II, Section A of Activity
#1?

H. The relationship between V, I, and R in a simple circuit is known as Ohm’s “Law”.

By combining the results of your experimental study of how current varies with
voltage and how current varies with resistance, one should be able to state Ohm’s
“Law”. List these three (3) relationships below.

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 Part III – Dimmer Light Switch

Materials Needed:

• Power Supply
• 1 Rheostat
• 1 Switch
• 1 Light Bulb (2.4–volt) with Ceramic Socket.
• Several “Alligator” and “Banana” clip connecting wires.

A. Using approximately 1.3 Volts on the power supply, construct the circuit that is
pictured below.

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B. Before closing the switch, adjust the rheostat to the maximum resistance.

C. Close the switch. Initially, the light bulb may not be illuminated. Gradually
decrease the value of the resistance by sliding the contact on the rheostat until
the light bulb is clearly visible.

D. What happens to the brightness of the bulb after making the change; Brighter,
Dimmer, No change?

E. How does the change in resistance affect the current traveling through the light
bulb?

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