Power Calculations

1. Some of the elements in the circuit below supply power to the circuit and others receive
power from the circuit. Unlike a resistor, sources such as a battery do not necessarily
dissipate the power that they receive (e.g. a rechargeable battery will store it as energy
through a reversible chemical reaction, though some power will be dissipated as this process
is never 100% efficient). Find the power supplied/received by each source.

2A

80 V
100 V

60 V

5A

Answer:
Source

Power

2A
60V
80V
5A
100V

320.W
120.W
400.W
900.W
300.W

Received
or
Supplied?
Received
Supplied
Received
Supplied
Received

2. If the connection is valid, find the total power developed in the circuit.
5A

2A

Total Power delivered = 1.00kW

50 V
I
30 I

80 V

200 V

3. The following circuit satisfies Kirchhoff's Laws. If V0=100V, find the total power received
by all of the circuit elements that are receiving power from the rest of the circuit.

ig

I
60 V

Total Power received = 2.24 kW

80 V

4A

+
v0
-

2 I

4. Calculate the power being supplied to the rest of the circuit by the dependent source.
Dependent source
power = 30.0 W supplied

ix
6A

0.9Ix
6

15
4A
6

5. Calculate the total power supplied and received by each element in the circuit below. Clearly
state whether each element is supplying or receiving power.
5I2

I1

+
20 V

v1

I2

I4

20

V1/4

Element

I3

Vx

Voltage

Current

Power

Is power supplied or
receiving?

20 V source
20 resistor
Dependent
source 5i2
Dependent
source v1/4
5 resistor
Answers:
Element

Voltage

Current

Power

20 V source
20 resistor
Dependent source 5i2
Dependent source v1/4
5 resistor

V1 = 20.0 V
V1 = 20.0 V
5.00 V
Vx = 15V
Vx = 15V

I1 = 9.00 A
I2 = 1.00 A
I3 = 8.00 A
5.00 A
I4 = 3.00 A

- 180. W
20.0 W
40.0 W
75.0 W
45.0 W

Is power supplied or
absorbed?
180. W supplied
20.0 W receiving
40.0 W receiving
75.0 W receiving
45.0 W receiving

Design Problems
6. Find R1 and R2 such that V0 = 5V and the power dissipated in R1 is 0.25W.

150
25 V

R1 = 100.
R2 = 200.

R1
R2

R1

+
V0
-

7. The circuit below is a voltage divider circuit designed to produce three voltages for use in
other circuits. Calculate R1, R2, and R3 in order to produce no-load voltages of 12V, 6V, and
-12V and under the constraint that the total power dissipated is 36W.

R1

24 V

R2

R3

R1 = 4.00
R2 = 4.00
R3 = 8.00

8. Specify the resistors in the following circuit to meet the following design criteria:
Ig = 8 mA, Vg = 4 V, I1 = 2I2, I2=10I3, and I3=I4.
+
Ig

Vg
-

R1
I1

R2
I2

R3
I3

R4
I4

R1 = 800.
R2 = 1.60 k
R3 = 16.0 k
R4 = 16.0 k

9. All of the resistors in the circuit below have the same value R.
a. Find the value of R such that the source provides 1.0W of power to the circuit.
b. If all of the resistors are to have the same power rating, what is the minimum power
rating required to avoid exceeding the maximum? Assume the power rating may
change by 1/8W increments (eg. 1/8W, 1/4W, 3/8W, etc.). (Hint: identify the resistor
that dissipates the most power and compute its power rating requirements.)
R

0.100A

a. R = 0.100 k
b. Min power rating = W

Resistors in Series and Parallel

10. Determine which elements in the circuit below are in series and which elements are in
parallel.
Series: 5, 6, 7
Parallel: 8||4, 1||3, 2||9

11. Calculate the equivalent resistance Rab.

5
Rab

15
40

60

20

Rab = 35.0

50
55

10

16

66

12. Calculate the equivalent resistance Rab.

3
2.5

Rab =15.0

5
60

Rab

26

75
20

3.4

11.25

10

15

13. Calculate the equivalent resistance Rab.

6

Rab =10.0

1.5
45
40

Rab

5
12

15

5.2

14. Calculate the equivalent resistance Rab.

125

34

15
60

Rab

200

50

50
80

50

3.33

13

15

Rab =0.100 k

Conceptual Problems
15. For the following problem, assume the values are accurate to two significant figures.
For the circuit shown below:
a. For both switches open, what are VA and VB?
b. For both switches closed, what are VA and VB?
c. For switch A open, and switch B closed, what are VA and VB?
d. For switch B open and switch A closed, what are VA and VB?
Sw A
+ VA 12.

8.0 V

+
15.

Sw B

VB
-

Question
a
b
c
d

VA
-8.0 V
0.0 V
-8.0 V
0.0 V

VB
0.0 V
0.0 V
0.0 V
-4.4 V

16. The circuit below consists of light bulbs A and B, switches I and II, an ideal voltage source
V1, and a variable resistor R1. Fill in the blanks below, using these possible responses.
1) Both light bulbs are off
2) Light bulb A is on, light bulb B is off
3) Light bulb A is off, light bulb B is on
4) Both light bulbs are on and light bulb A
is brighter
5) Both light bulbs are on and light bulb B is
brighter

II
I

6) Both light bulbs are on and they have the

same intensity

___
___
___
___

Both switches are open

Switch I is closed, switch II is open
Switch I is open, switch II is closed
Both switches are closed

Answers:
2
Both switches are open
4
Switch I is closed, switch II is open
6
Switch I is open, switch II is closed
6
Both switches are closed

17. Resistor R is increased in the circuit below. What happens to:

a. The power dissipated in R?
b. The power dissipated in R1?
c. The power dissipated in R2?
d. The power supplied by Vs?
R
Vs
Answers:
a. Power dissipated in R decreases.
b. No change
c. No change
d. Power supplied by Vs decreases.

R1

R2

18. The circuit below has four identical light bulbs connected to an ideal battery.
a. How do the brightness of these bulbs
compare? Assume brightness is directly
related to power.
b. Which light bulb(s) draws the least
amount of current?
c. What happens to the brightness of the
remaining light bulbs when light bulb C is
removed?
d. What happens to the brightness of the
remaining light bulbs when light bulb D is
removed

Answers:
a. (A&D) > (B&C)
b. B&C
c. A&D decrease; B increases
d. They all go out

19. Resistor R is decreased in the circuit below. What happens to:

a. The power dissipated in R?
b. The power dissipated in R1?
c. The power dissipated in R2?
R
d. The power supplied by Is?
Is
Answers:
a. Power in R decreases
b. No change
c. No change
d. Power supplies by Is decreases

R1

R2

Analysis
20. Use voltage division and the circuit below to complete the table shown.
+ V1 -

+ V2 -

R1

R2

+
V3
-

V1

R3

R1

(a) 6 V

(b)

0.5 1 V

(c) 5 V

R2

V2

3V

R3

V3

1V 5

(d) 2.5 V 1.5 0.5 V 2.5

Answers
V

R1

V1

R2

V2

R3

V3

(a)

6V

1.00 V

2.00 V

3.00 V

(b)

13.0 V

4.00 V

8.00 V

0.5

1V

(c)

5V

15.0

3V

5.00

1V

1.00 V

(d)

2.5 V

1.5

0.5 V

2.5

0.833 V

3.50

1.17 V

21. Use current division and the circuit below to complete the table shown.

R1

I3

I2

I1

R1

I1

(a) 1.5 A 3
(b) 2 A
(c)

R3

R2

R2

I2

R3

30

1 A 10
8

(d) 3 A

I3

40
20 1 A

8
1A

10 1 A

Answers:
I

R1

I1

R2

I2

R3

I3

(a)

1.5 A

0.938 A

0.469 A

30

0.094 A

(b)

2A

8.00

1A

10

0.800 A

40

0.200 A

(c)

6.00 A

2.50 A

2.50 A

20

1A

(d)

3A

10.0

1A

10.0

1.00 A

10

1A

22. Find Vg and the power dissipated in the 20 resistor given that 1 A of current flows in the
9 resistor.
20

P20 = 28.8W

10
Vg

5
32

4
1A
40

25

Vg = 144. W
2

23. For the following circuit:

a. Given that I0 = 0.54A, find Ix.
b. Find Ix if the 20 resistor is changed to 10 .
20
60

15

8
30

6
48

10

Ix
I0
10

18

Answers:
a. Ix = 6.00 A
b. Ix = 5.40 A

24. Find Vo in the following circuit:

10 k

3 k

18 mA
2 k
15 k

Vo

4 k
12 k

Answer:
Vo = 33.8 V

25. Find Vo and Vg in the following circuit:

12

50
30

+
25 A

25

Vg
-

+
30

Vo
-

60

Answers:
Vo = 0.300 kV
Vg = 1.05 kV

26. Find Io and Ig in the following circuit:

2

Ig

15

125 V

12

Io
20
5

13

Answers:
Io = 2.00 A
Ig = 12.5 A

27. In the following circuit, the no-load value of Vo = 6 V. When RL is connected, Vo drops to
4V. Find the value of RL.
40

18V

+
R2

Vo

RL

Answer:
RL = 26.7

28. Calculate Io and the power dissipated in the 10 resistor.

4

3
Answers:
Io = -1.00 A
P10 = 160. W

30

40

75 V
Io

10

29. Find the current, voltage and power associated with the 20 k resistor.
I1

+
5 mA

10 k

Vo
_

+
0.01 Vo

5 k

20 k

V1
-

Answers:
V1 = 2.00 kV
I1 = 100. mA
P20k = 200. W

30. The following represents a two-stage amplifier which converts an input signal to a larger
Answers:
output signal.
a.
Vout = 30.0 V, Iout = 3.00 A
a. Calculate Iout and Vout.
b.
Voltage Gain = 3.00
b. Calculate the voltage gain which is defined as Vout/Vin.
Iout
I2
2
Vin = 10V

+
V1
-

5
4 V1

10

6
4.5 I2

+
Vout
-

31. Calculate Vx and Ix in the circuit below.

Vx = -0.600 V
Ix = 1.80 A
1.00
+
2.00 A

Ix
2V x

3.00

Vx
-

32. In the circuit below, calculate values for vx and V1.

+
3.5 mA

-3 mA
1 k

10 k

0.03vx

Answers:
Vx = -2.00 V
V1 = -515. V

vx

V1

12 mA

1 mA