EPS Foundation Lab

Experiment A – Resistors in series and parallel

Name: Date:

Please carefully read and abide by the following safety guide-

lines:
1. Do not eat, drink, or smoke in the laboratory.

2. Wear a lab coat and closed shoes which completely cover your feet.

3. Dress properly during all laboratory activities. Long hair, dangling jewellery, and loose or
baggy clothing are a hazard. Long hair must be tied back, and dangling jewelry and loose or
baggy clothing must be secured.

4. Never work in the laboratory alone, always work under supervision of lab in-charge.

5. Do not use your mobile phone or wear any device that interferes with hearing.

6. Do not use any equipment unless you are trained and approved as a user by your instructor
or staff. Ask for help if you are unsure of how to operate something.

7. Perform only those experiments authorized by the instructor. Never do anything in the labo-
ratory that is not called for in the laboratory procedures by your instructor.

8. Do not yell, scream, or run in the laboratory.

9. All accidents, no matter how minor, should be reported to the faculty/staff member supervising
the laboratory immediately.

10. Keep aisles clear and maintain unobstructed access to all exits, fire extinguishers, electrical
panels, emergency showers, and eyewashes.

11. Be cautious in handling wires and check all connections to ensure they are fitted properly.

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Pro tips for this experiment!

Vocabulary
• Current or intensity: flow of electrons circulating in a electric component. Measured in
Amps (unit symbol A).

• Voltage: you may think about it as the energy required to move an electric charge from one
point to another. Measured in volts (unit symbol V).

• Resistor: the simplest electric component to study! Its role in electric circuits is to reduce
the intensity. It does this by consuming some of the intensity it receives and converting it into
heat. That’s why you find a lot of heating devices are made out of resistors (ovens, hair dryers,
etc...).

• Resistance: The capacity that a resistor has to reduce the intensity passing through it. The
bigger the resistance on a resistor, the more the intensity is reduced. Measured in Ohm (unit
symbol Ω).

• Multimeter: device which allows the measure of currents, voltages and even resistances.

• DC power supply: electrical component capable of generating a Direct Current. You may
think of it as an adjustable battery.

• Series: two electrical component are connected in series when they can be linked to each other
by a single electrical wire.

• Parallel: electrical components are connected in parallel when the link to each other is more
than a single wire.

Tips for writing the report

1. Be safe! Read the safety tips on the front page carefully.

2. Whenever you answer a question with a number, don’t forget the unit!

3. Whenever you calculate a value, pay attention to the number of significant figures you give!

4. Be independent! If you have a question, read the report carefully. Most of the answers to
the questions you have are in this booklet. Don’t hesitate to ask your labmate. Only ask the
teacher as a last resort.

5. RTFQ!

6. Always label the axes of any graphs you draw!

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Objective
In this experiment you will set up two circuits: one with resistors in series and one with resistors in
parallel. This experiment will show you the difference between resistors in series and parallel.
This report is divided into three main sections; theory behind the experiment, experimental
details, and questions for you to answer. You should finish the experimental parts first and write
your obtained values alongside in the tables provided. Once you have finished the experiment and
collected your data, you may proceed to answering the questions. Make sure all questions are
answered before submitting your report.

Equipment
• 3 Different resistors (R1 = 100 Ω, R2 = 330 Ω, R3 = 460 Ω)

• Multimeter

• DC power supply

1 Theory notes
1.1 Ohm’s Law
A resistor is an electrical component which reduces the intensity going through it. The greater its
resistance, the bigger the reduction of intensity. The law which predicts this phenomenon is called
Ohm’s Law.

Ohm’s Law
The intensity I going through a resistor and its voltage U are linked together through Ohm’s
Law by:
U = RI,

where the R is the resistance of this particular resistor.

1.2 Resistors in series

In the first part of this experiment, we will study the properties of resistors, which are connected
“in series”. Figure 1 shows two resistors connected in series.

Figure 1: The DC power supply is represented by the horizontal lines with the plus and minus sign.
Resistors are the zigzags. The lines connecting them are wires.

When multiple resistors are connected in series, we can simplify the circuit and consider that it
is in fact a single resistor, which is called an equivalent resistor. This is represented on Figure 2.
This is very handy in situations where we have a lot of resistors in series.

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Figure 2: Equivalent circuit to Figure 1. We now replaced 2 resistors with one equivalent resistor.

Resistors in series
Electrical components in series see the same current. For resistors, this means that their
resistances add up.
Req = R1 + R2 .

This rule also applies for more than 2 resistors.

1.3 Resistors in parallel

In the second part of this lab, we will connect them together as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: The resistors are now connected in parallel.

When resistors are in parallel, the rule to find the equivalent resistance is different than for
resistors in series.

Resistors in parallel

Electrical components in parallel see the same voltage. For resistors, this means that to
find the equivalent resistance Req , their inverse resistances add up.

1 1 1
= + .
Req R1 R2

This rule also applies for more than 2 resistors.

1
It is essential to remember that after you do this calculation, you have Re q . You must flip that
over to get Req ! Here’s an example: If we have R1 = 270 Ω and R2 = 330 Ω we would calculate Req
as follows:
1 1 1
= +
Req R1 R2
1 1 1
= +
Req 270 330
1 2 (1)
=
Req 297
297
Req =
2
Req = 149 Ω.

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2 Resistors in series
1. Take three resistors. Measure the resistance of each resistor individually using the ohmmeter
(i.e., the multimeter). Record the values in Table 1.

2. Determine the resistance of each resistor, using the Resistor Color Code Chart on the last
page. Record the values in Table 1.

3. Now, connect the resistors in series, as shown in Figure 4, and connect them to the power supply
that is set at 5 V. Record the voltage across each resistor, using the multimeter. Record the
measured values in Table 1. Some questions in the next section will help you complete the
table.

Figure 4: Caption

Resistance Resistance Voltage Current

(measured values) (values from colour code) (measured values) (calculated values)
Unit: Unit: Unit: Unit:
R1 R1 V1
R2 R2 V2
R3 R3 V3

Table 1: Blank results table. Make sure you specify the units of your measurements!

Questions
1. Are the voltages V1 , V2 and V3 equal? Why?

2. Calculate the total voltage V = V1 + V2 + V3 . Explain why it has the value it does.

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3. State the Ohm’s law and calculate the values for current. For this calculation, use the measured
value of the resistances. Record these calculated values in Table 1 above. Is the result what
you expected? Why or why not?

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3 Resistors in parallel
In this part of the experiment, you will test the addition law for resistors in parallel.

1. Take two resistors. Measure the resistance of each resistor individually using the ohmmeter
(i.e., the multimeter). Record the values in Table 2.

Resistance Resistance Voltage Current

(measured values) (values from colour code) (measured values) (calculated values)
Unit: Unit: Unit: Unit:
R1 R1 V1 I1
R2 R2 V2 I2

Table 2: Blank results table. Make sure you specify the units of your measurements!

2. Calculate the resistance of each resistor, using the Resistor Color Code Chart on the last page.
Record the values in Table 2.

3. Now, connect the resistors in parallel, as shown in Figure 5, and connect them to the power
supply that is set at 5 V. Record the voltage across each resistor, using the multimeter. Record
the measured values in Table 2.

Figure 5

4. Calculate the equivalent resistance (Req ) of the circuit, based on your measured values of R1
and R2 . Enter the value in Table 2.

5. Measure the equivalent resistance of the circuit using the ohmmeter. This is the resistance
between points P and Q in Figure 5. Record the value in Table 2.

6. Use Ohm’s law, with your measured value of Req , to calculate the total current in the circuit.
Enter the value in Table 2.

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Questions
1. Are the measured values of R1 and R2 equal to the values calculated using the colour code
chart? How much do they differ?

2. Is your measured value of Req similar to your calculated value? Explain.

3. Are V1 and V2 equal? Explain.

4. Are I1 and I2 equal? Explain.

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Reflection
• What have you learnt today that you did not know before?

• What did you like least in this experiment and why?

• What would you add/remove to make it a better experience for future students?

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Figure 6

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Marking Sheet
You are expected to produce the following by the end of this lab session:

• Assemble a breadboard circuit with resistors in series

• Assemble a breadboard circuit with resistors in parallel

• Measure values of voltages and intensities

General marking criteria Comment

Punctuality - Being more than 10 minutes late will result in a zero.

Independence - Losing significant amounts of time to an encountered problem

may result in a zero mark

Safety - If you need to be reminded about any safety procedures, you will
score zero here.

Overall quality of work – meets the expectations for a degree student e.g.
appropriately labelled tables/graphs, use of significant figures etc.

Experiment specific criteria Comment

Correct resistors chosen

Working breadboard circuit with resistors in series

Correct values in the series table

Correct answers in the questions section

Working breadboard circuit with resistors in parallel

Correct values in the parallel table

Correct answers in the questions section

No mistakes in units

Reflection questions addressed appropriately

Final comment

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