Matthew Fearrington

Resistors in Parallel

Objective

The objective of this lab were to examine the behavior of currents and total resistance for
resistors connected in parallel in a DC circuit.

Procedure

The circuit shown in Figure 1 was constructed. The resistance values for each resistor were
measured with a multimeter for accuracy. An ammeter was connected to find the current at each
point(A, B, C, D) in the circuit.

Figure 1, Schematic

Data

These are the recorded values for the currents across points A, B, C, and D paired with the
calculated values. Resistance values were measured using a multimeter to ensure accuracy. Using
Ohms law (V = IR) we can derive currents at different points mathematically As conductivity (1/R) in
parallel circuits is additive, we can derive the total resistance by taking the reciprocal of the sum of the
reciprocals of the resistance.
 Table 1 Recorded Resistance Values, Total Resistance

Resistance Values (Ohms) Total Resistance (Ohms)

Nominal 8,200 1,000 39,000 871
Measured 8080 900 39,100 793

Table 2 Recorded and Calculated Values of Current at Points A, B, C, D

A (mA) B (mA) C (mA) D (mA)

Measured 13.74 1.48 12.02 .31
Calculated 15.13 1.46 13.33 .3

Analysis

Kirchhoff's Current Law states that the current going to a point in a circuit will always add up to
the current flowing out of a point in a circuit. Our measurements and calculations verify this. There are
13.74mA flowing through the circuit in total with out measure values, as shown by our measurement at
point A. We can see that around 13.74mA are flowing back into point A as when the current at points
B, C, and D are added together (current is additive), we get a sum of 13.81. The same is true of our
calculated values. The current at point A with calculated values is 15.13, while B, C and D added
together are 15.09.

The measured resistance is much lower the nominal resistance. This is because of the large
discrepancy between the smallest resistor in the circuit. Based on the results of this lab we can say that
the current divider equation does work. Calculated values and measured values for currents came out
very similar, with the discrepancy in the resistance values taken into account.
 Appendix

Calculations

Appendix 1: Total Resistance for Measured Values

Appendix 2: Total Resistance for Nominal Values

Appendix 3: Total Current for Nominal Resistance Values

Appendix 4: Total Current for Measured Resistance Values