CVGS Physics
Lab 14B: Series and Parallel Circuits
1. Draw two circuit diagrams one for three resistors wired in series and another for
three resistors wired parallel to each other. Your lab team will be given one 10 Ω,
two 50 Ω and one 100 Ω resistors. Determine where voltage and current readings
should be taken in each circuit. After the instructor approves the diagrams, set up
each circuit and collect the voltage and current data. The instructor must check
each wired circuit before any power supply is turned on! Record your data in wellorganized charts in Excel.
2. What would happen if you hooked the resistors up in series and parallel
combinations within the same circuit? Draw a circuit diagram indicating where you
would take current and voltage readings. Predict the voltage and current readings
across each resistor before experimentally measuring these values. Check your
circuit diagram with the instructor before trying it out. Collect and record the data.
3. According to your data, how are the individual resistances related to the total
resistance in a (a) series circuit and (b) parallel circuit?
4. According to your data, how are the individual current readings through each
resistor related to the total current adjacent to the power source in a (a) series
circuit and (b) parallel circuit?
5. According to your data, how are the individual voltage drops across resistors
related to the voltage across the power source in a (a) series circuit and (b)
parallel circuit?
6. What is the relationship between the power supplied by the voltage source and
the power losses in each of the resistors for a (a) series circuit and (b) parallel
circuit?
7. Were your predictions for the combination series-parallel circuit correct? Explain.
8. How could you check the accuracy of the resistance values given on your
resistors? After the instructor approves your proposed checking method, verify
your resistance values by collecting the appropriate data.
9. In addition to recording what you have learned in your own lab notes, turn in a
group report including circuit diagrams, data tables, and each team member’s
answers to the above questions (#2-6).
Revised 3/8/06