3rd Period

Formal Lab Report (Circuits Lab Part I)

Lab as performed on April 19 t h , 2018

In this lab, a laboratory experiment has been done to test the operation and functionality of a
circuit in many different setups. The ways a circuit are arranged will be used to determine the power
and current directed to a motor, light bulb or standard resistor. Upon seeing the effects of different
setups to the energy output of the resistors, whether it be by how fast a motor moves, or how bright a
bulb is lightened, we will be able to relatively determine the voltage and current going through a
resistor.

The fundamentals of a circuit include the main setups called parallel circuits and series circuits.
A parallel circuit has resistors parallel to each other, which are not along the same wire. Resistors along
a parallel circuit have the same voltage but different currents. The current that goes through a resistor
in parallel depends on the resistance of the resistor, where there is a proportional relationship between
the resistance and the current it gets, such that a higher resistance gets a smaller current, and vice
versa.

The series circuit has resistors next to each other along the same wire. Resistors along the series
circuit have the same current but different voltages. The voltage that goes through a resistor in series
depends on the resistance of the resistor, where there is a proportional relationship between the
resistance and the voltage it gets, such that a higher resistance has a higher voltage and a lower
resistance gets a lower voltage.

Key to understanding the circuit are Kirchhoff’s rules. The junction rule states that any current
entering a junction (or parallel resistors) will be the same current that leaves the junction, basically
stating a conservation of charge, or the sum of the currents that enter and leave a junction are equal to
zero. The loop rule states that any voltage that left that battery will be equal to any voltage that is used
up right before the current reaches the battery again, basically stating a conservation of energy. These
principles along with the setup of the circuit will allow for the determination of relative current and
voltage through resistors.

Question 1:
How do circuits work?

Materials:
Circuit kit, batteries

Procedure:
1. Build Project 1 according to the instructions in the kit
2. Draw each circuit using circuit diagramming shorthand
3. Draw how the current is moving in each circuit
4. Explain in words what is happening in each circuit
5. Repeat steps 1-4 for Projects 2, 5 and 6
 3rd Period

Analysis:
 In Project 1, current is flowing from the positive end, going around the circuit, going through a
resistor (light bulb) and a switch, then back to the negative side, the light bulb is powered when
the switch is closed

o
 In Project 2, when the switch is closed, current flows form the battery through the motor,
making it rotate, so the fan rotates and air is moved past, so electricity is turned to mechanical
energy

o
 In Project 5, the circuit is in series, so the same amount of current flows everywhere around the
circuit, but the light bulb takes most of the voltage, so the fan takes a while to rotate and cannot
move as much air

o
 In Project 6, when the switch is closed, both the fan and the bulb turn on, since the voltage is
shared and the current is split, since the circuit is in parallel, and both have the same energy

o
 3rd Period

Conclusion:
The arrangement of the circuit changes how current and voltage flows through each resistor,
whether current flows evenly in a series circuit, or voltage flows evenly in a parallel circuit. Possible
error includes the slight mismeasurement of the wiring.