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Practical Parallel Circuit

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27 views

Practical Parallel Circuit

Uploaded by

ethanbao10
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Practical: Parallel Circuits

Introduction: In a parallel circuit, the current can take more than one path.

Materials:
 1 x powerpack
 1 x voltmeter
 1 x ammeter
 1 switch
 2 x light bulbs
 8 x wires

Method:
1. Set up the circuit shown in figure one with the wires connecting to
the DC outlet of the powerpack.
2. Set the powerpack to 4V.
3. Set up the ammeter in the circuit to measure the current flowing out
of the powerpack (X1). Turn on the powerpack and record the
current.
4. Turn off the powerpack and take measurements for the current
flowing through each lightbulb by placing the ammeter at points
marked X2 and X3.
5. Record the voltage across each lightbulb and the powerpack.
6. Open the switch whilst the powerpack is on. Record your findings.

Figure 1. Parallel circuit

Results:

Location Current (A)


X1
X2
X3
Location Voltage (V)
Across powerpack
Across lightbulb 1
Across lightbulb 2

Other observations:

Discussion:
1. Compare what happens to the current in a parallel circuit to a series
circuit.
2. Compare the voltage measured in the series circuit with the parallel
circuit. Are there any differences across the powerpack or
lightbulbs?
3. Explain what happens when the switch is open to the circuit you
created.

Questions:
1. An electric circuit contains two globes in parallel. The voltage across
the battery is 12 V and the current coming out of the battery is 300
mA.
a) What is the current through each globe?

b) What is the voltage across each globe?


2. Why are household lights connected in parallel rather than in series?
3. Some Christmas tree lights are wired in series. Should one globe
blow, what would happen to the brightness of the other globes?
4. Draw a circuit diagram representing three globes in (a) series, (b)
parallel. Include one switch, voltmeter and ammeter in each.

Explaining parallel circuits:


In a two-globe parallel circuit the current that comes out of the battery
splits in half, with half going through one globe and half going through the
other globe. The voltage across each globe, however, is the same as that
of the battery. If the battery is a 6V one, then the voltage across each
globe is also 6 V (this is different from what occurs in a series circuit).
If one globe is unscrewed from a two-globe parallel circuit, then the other
remains glowing - its brightness does not change, because the current
through it and the voltage across it does not change. A parallel circuit
behaves like two separate circuits connected to the battery.

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