POTENTIAL DIVIDER & LOADING EFFECT

Aim :

(a) Study the potential divider circuit & verify Kirchoff’s Voltage Law
(b) Study loading effect .

Equipment: Terminal board , Resistors: Two 10MΩ, (1/4 W), 3.3k, 2.2k, 1.8 k,
1.0 k, Power Supply , Multimeter

Formula’s Used:

1) Vi = (VT / RT) X Ri

2) Vc = VM + (R1 R2) / (Rv (R1 + R2) ) X VM

Theory:

Procedure : To verify Kirchoff’s voltage law (KVL)

1) Connect the resistor’s (after verifying their rated values using a

multimeter), 3.3 k, 2.2 k, 1.8 k, 1.0 k in a series as shown in Fig.1. Note
down the values & tolerances of (R1 to R4) in the tabular column.
R1

R2
1

V Source
R3
2

R1
1

V Source
R2
2

R4

Potential divider Loading effect

Fig 1 Fig 2

2) Choose a convenient source voltage, Vs (say 10 volts) for the series

circuit. Theoretically calculate the expected voltage across each resistor &
then measure using the Multimeter .
Use the formula Vi = (Vs / RT) Ri, where
th
Vs is the source voltage, Vi is the voltage across i resistor,
 RT = R1 + R2 + …. + Rn , is the total resistance
Ri is the value of resistor across which voltage is to be measured

3) Measure the voltage across each resistor choosing the appropriate dc

range on the multimeter.(maintain polarity).

4) Note down carefully: the input impedance and the range used every
time a voltage is measured.

5) Observe if there is a loading effect & if there is, use the formula to get
the corrected voltage reading.
Vc = Vm + (R1 R2 / [Rv (R1 + R2) ) ] .Vm, where, VM is the
measured voltage, Rv is the Multimeter resistance and R1 & R2 are resistance
values.

6) Sum up the voltage drops across each resistor. The algebraic sum
should be equal to the source voltage Vs (with in experimental error) This
verifies KVL

7)To study loading effect: Set up the circuit shown and follow the
procedure as for verification of KVL.
8) Measure voltage across each resistor using the appropriate range on the
voltmeter.
9) Compare V theoritical & V practical.
Use formula to obtain Vcorrect reading
Tabular column for Potential divider
Vs= RT=
Sr.No Resistance Voltage across each resistor Range Used Is Loading Corrected
value in volts effect taking reading
in ohms Theoritical Practical place

Make a separate identical tabular column for study of loading effect using circuit
in fig 2