Lab05_Simulations and Current

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Drexel University *

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171

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Electrical Engineering

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Feb 20, 2024

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Lab05: Simulations and Current Student #1: Chen Joseph Student #2:Adam Gladstone Instructions: Read and print out this document prior to attending lab. Follow along with the instructions and complete the questions. Hand in one document per lab group at the end of the lab period. Note: you must be present to gain credit for the lab. Go to this website: https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/circuit-construction-kit-dc/latest/circuit- construction-kit-dc_en.html , and then choose the “intro” option. Part 1: A) Click around for a few minutes and give an explanation of what the simulation shows. The simulation has several items we can place onto the screen which includes the battery, light bulb, resistor, switch and wires. There is also a voltmeter and ammeter. B) Click the refresh button on the bottom right corner. Place a battery on the board, and connect it to a wire, then one light bulb, then another wire, then back to the resistor. Why will current flow in this circuit? The current will flow in this circuit because it creates a closed loop for the movement of electrons. The electrons then return to the battery's positive terminal, completing the circuit. C) Double click on the battery, and you will be able to drag the voltage larger and smaller. Experiment with that. You can drag the ammeter over the wire leaving the battery to measure the current. Choose the correct word to complete each phrase. i) When the voltage of the battery is high, the electrons flow ( quickly /slowly), the current gets ( bigger /smaller), and the bulb shines more ( brightly /dimly). ii) When the voltage of the battery is low, the electrons flow (quickly/ slowly ), the current gets (bigger/ smaller ), and the bulb shines more (brightly/ dimly ). D) Double click on the bulb, and you will be able to drag the resistance larger and smaller. Experiment with that. You can drag the ammeter over the wire leaving the battery to measure the current. Choose the correct word to complete each phrase. i) When the resistance of the bulb is high, the electrons flow (quickly/ slowly ), the current gets (bigger/ smaller ), and the bulb shines more (brightly/ dimly ). ii) When the resistance of the bulb is low, the electrons flow ( quickly /slowly), the current gets ( bigger /smaller), and the bulb shines more ( brightly /dimly). E) Choose the correct word to complete each phrase. Based on these observations, current is related ( directly /inversely) to voltage, and (directly/ inversely ) to resistance. Lab05: Simulations and Current PHYS 171: Computational Lab for Electricity and Motion C. Love, Drexel University; edited by R. Kratzer, Drexel University Page 1 of 4

Part 2: Next, on the board, make 3 different circuits. Double-click on the battery for each circuit to adjust the voltage to some constant value. (It can be 10 V or 24 V or 100 V, but they all need to be the same.) - Circuit 1: 1 battery powering one bulb. - Circuit 2: 1 battery powering 2 bulbs in a row (series). - Circuit 3: 1 battery power 3 bulbs in a row (series). A) Use the ammeter in the tool box to measure the current coming out of each of the 3 batteries. Complete the following data table: Number of bulbs in series circuit Voltage of battery (double click the battery to see, should be same for all) Current leaving the battery 1 10V 0.50A 2 10V 0.33A 3 10V 0.25A B) Choose the correct words to complete each phrase: The circuit with more bulbs in series has the (greatest/ smallest ) current, the electrons move most (quickly/ slowly ), and the bulb are (brighter/ dimmer /same brightness) C) Choose the correct word to complete each phrase: As more and more bulbs are attached in SERIES, the total resistance for the circuit ( increases /decreases) D) Disconnect one of the bulbs in the 3-bulb circuit (click on the connection). What happens to the light from the other two bulbs of that circuit? The light from the other two bulbs of that circuit would be turned off as the circuit becomes open. Lab05: Simulations and Current PHYS 171: Computational Lab for Electricity and Motion C. Love, Drexel University; edited by R. Kratzer, Drexel University Page 2 of 4

Part 3: On the board, make 3 different circuits. Double-click on the battery for each circuit to adjust the voltage to some constant value. (It can be 10 V or 24 V or 100 V, but they all need to be the same.) - Circuit 1: 1 battery powering one bulb. - Circuit 2: 1 battery powering 2 bulbs in parallel - Circuit 3: 1 battery power 3 bulbs in parallel A) Use the ammeter in the tool box to measure the current coming out of each of the 3 batteries. Complete the following data table: Number of bulbs in parallel circuit Voltage of battery (double click the battery to see, should be same for all) Current leaving the battery (Make sure you measure at the point the current leaves the battery) 1 9V 0.90A 2 9V 1.80A 3 9V 2.70A B) Choose the correct word to complete each phrase: The circuit with more bulbs in parallel has the ( greatest /smallest) current, the electrons move most ( quickly /slowly) out of the battery, and the bulbs are ( brighter /dimmer/same brightness) C) Choose the correct word to complete each phrase: As more and more bulbs are attached in parallel, the total resistance for the circuit (increases/ decreases ). D) Choose the correct word to complete each phrase. Disconnect one of the bulbs in the 3- bulb circuit (click on the connection). What happens to the light from the other two bulbs of that circuit? When one of the three bulbs is disconnected from the parallel circuit, the other two will remain lit since each bulb has its pathway for electricity to flow. Lab05: Simulations and Current PHYS 171: Computational Lab for Electricity and Motion C. Love, Drexel University; edited by R. Kratzer, Drexel University Page 3 of 4

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Part 4: A) Discuss with your group how to write a successful abstract. Recall an abstract is a brief paragraph summary of the lab where you simply state what you did (method, 1-2 sentences) and why you did it (purpose/theory, 1-2 sentences) and you concisely explain your results with respect to expectations and physical meaning (conclusion, 1-2 sentences). Together with your group, write an abstract for this lab. Our lab used the PhET Interactive Simulations platform to investigate electrical circuits. In Part 1, we looked into the link between voltage, current, and resistance using the Circuit Construction Kit. We examined how these changes affected the flow of electrons and the light bulb's brightness by changing the voltage and resistance of the batteries and bulbs. We found that resistance has an inverse relationship with current and that current is directly related to voltage. In part 2, we built three distinct circuits that included different numbers of bulbs connected in series. The current at the battery dropped as the number of lights in the series circuit rose, according to the measurement. Furthermore, unplugging one bulb in a three-bulb series circuit caused the other two to be disconnected.. In part 3, we built parallel circuits using lightbulbs. The statistics indicated that the overall current leaving the battery rose with the number of bulbs placed in parallel. The three- bulb parallel circuit illustrates the independent paths for current in a parallel design. Disconnecting one bulb did not influence the illumination of the other two lights. Overall, this lab that deals with electrical circuits yielded a new understanding of the connections between resistance, voltage, current, and circuit designs. B) Discuss your group’s ability to work as a team on this lab. Reflect on the group dynamics and behavior with respect to the learning process. How and why was the group successful? What needs improvement and why? The group is successfully able to work as a team for this lab because we are able to help build onto each other's ideas when questions become confusing. As well as “teach” each other concepts others have forgotten to better complete the lab. There isn’t much improvement that is needed as we worked on this lab. Lab05: Simulations and Current PHYS 171: Computational Lab for Electricity and Motion C. Love, Drexel University; edited by R. Kratzer, Drexel University Page 4 of 4