Name:___________________
DC Circuit Builder – Series Circuit
Goal: Study the relationship between Current, Voltage, and Resistance in a
series circuit.
Equipment: PHET DC Circuit Builder on your Laptop.
Build, Measure, Analyse:
Build the circuit shown with three resistors, two ammeters, a switch, and a
battery. Click on the resistors and set Resistor 1 to any value greater than 5
ohms. Make sure the value you use is different from people working near you.
Make Resistor 2 to be 2X Resistor 1, and Resistor 3 to be 3X Resistor 1. Set
your Batteries Electric Potential (Voltage) to be value 9 V or greater. Again, be
different from the people working near you.
1
2
3
For resistors 1, 2, and 3 and for the battery (B), measure the voltage and fill in
the table below
Component
B
1
2
3
Voltage(V)
Current(I)
Resistance(R)
Name:___________________
2. How does the current in each resistor (I1, I2, I3) compare to each other and
to the current in the battery (Ib)
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3. How does the voltage across the battery (VB) compare to the summative
voltage of the three resistors (V1 + V2 + V3)?
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4.
Write the above relationship as an equation:
5. What happens to the voltage on a junction if you add another component in
series (a bulb, a resistor, etc).
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7. Draw the circuit you have been experimenting with using correct diagram
drawing practices and component symbols below. Add a voltmeter connected in
parallel across resistor 1.