LABORATORY 2: SERIES AND PARALLEL CIRCUIT MEASUREMENT

Name: _________________ Date: ________________

Course/Sec: ____________ Rating: _______________

Laboratory Objectives:
1. In this lab the student will analyze, construct, and test a simple circuit with resistors.
2. To perform the measurements of the equivalent resistance of a resistive arrangement of series-
parallel and parallel-series circuits.
3. To provide the students with hands-on experience in breadboarding resistive circuits.

Laboratory Materials
Analog/Digital Multimeter
Resistors
Connecting Wires
Breadboard

Key Concepts
A circuit (also called an electrical network) is a collection of electrical multi-terminal devices that are
connected in a specified manner. For the most part, well be concerned with two-terminal devices. A
two terminal device is an electrical device with two lines or leads coming out of it.

Resistance Measurement
Resistance in Series Circuit
When you place resistances in series, The total resistance is equal to the sum of the individual
resistance values.







R
T
= R
1
+ R
2
+ R
3
+ R
4
+ R
5

Resistance in Parallel Circuit
The equivalent resistance (R
EQ
) is less than the smallest branch resistance. The term equivalent
resistance refers to a single resistance that would draw the same amount of current as all of the
parallel connected branches.
A parallel circuit is formed when two or more components are connected across the same two
points.
The equivalent resistance of a parallel circuit must be less than the smallest branch resistance.
Adding more branches to a parallel circuit reduces the equivalent resistance because more
current is drawn from the same voltage source.