University of Basrah 

College of engineering 
Chemical engineering department 

A report about: ​(​The Measurements of Voltage, Current and Resistance 

in DC Circuits​) 

Student name: Ahmed Ghaleb Mahdi

Study type: Evening study
Group and number: Group {C} No. 1
Date of experiment: 2020/04/20
 The purpose of the report 

Explain and learn how to measure DC voltages, currents and resistances using their
measuring devices and the correct way to connect them to the circles.

The introduction 

Before starting to measure DC voltages, we need to get familiar with DC voltage sources.
In this report we will use the Regulated DC Power Supply, Model 3010, by R.S.R.
Electronics that is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. The DC power supply.

This power supply contains three independent voltage sources. The leftmost voltage source
produces +5 volts. This voltage appears across the red connector (+5V 3A) and the black
connector (COMMON). The current from this source depends on the resistance of the device
being powered, but the maximum current is electronically limited to be less than 3 amperes.
The power supply also contains two adjustable DC voltage sources. One source produces
positive voltages (+1.5 to +15V, red plug) and the other source produces negative voltages
(-1.5 to -15V, yellow plug). The output voltage of each source can be adjusted with one of
the two knobs. The current depends on the resistance and the voltage setting, but the
current may not exceed ±1 ampere.

The schematic diagram of the 3010 power supply (Figure 2) shows the three ideal voltage
sources. The COMMON terminals of the variable voltage sources are connected together.
We note that the symbol for an ideal voltage source that can be varied includes a diagonal
arrow.

Figure 2. The schematic of the DC power supply.

 A. Measurement of DC Voltage (V)

A voltmeter measures the difference in voltage between two nodes in a circuit. Shown in
Figure 3.

Figure 3. A DC voltmeter

Voltmeters measure the electric potential drop across components where the voltmeter is
placed in parallel with a component of interest because components in parallel experience
the same potential difference, on the other hand we can calculate the voltage of a circuit by
modifying Ohm’s Law R=V/I in case we know the total resistance and the total current so
that the law becomes I=V/R.
As for an example, in the circuit shown in Figure 4. to measure the potential differences in
this series circuit, the voltmeter (V) is placed in parallel with the voltage source or either of
the resistors Figure 4 (a). We note that terminal voltage is measured between points a and
b. It is not possible to connect the voltmeter directly across the emf without including its
internal resistance. A digital voltmeter is being used in Figure 4 (b):

Figure 4.
 B. Measurement of DC Current (I)

An electric current is the rate of flow of electric charge past a point or region.
An electric current is said to exist when there is a net flow of electric charge through a
region, in electric circuits this charge is often carried by electrons moving through a wire, it
can also be carried by ions in an electrolyte, or by both ions and electrons such as in an
ionized gas (plasma)

The measurement of an electric current is performed using an ammeter and is quite different
than the measurement of voltage. When we speak of current, we are referring to the flow of
charge through a circuit element.
This means that we must place the ammeter in series with that circuit element. Usually
placing an ammeter in a circuit involves breaking a connection and inserting the meter, as
shown below in Figure 5.

Figure 5. To measure current (left), it is necessary to open-circuit the branch to be measured

and insert an ammeter (right).
 C. Measurement of DC Resistance (R)

Resistance​ is the degree to which a substance prevents the flow of electricity through
it. Its measured by the ohm (Ω).
According to Ohm’s Law, we can determine the resistance of a circuit element if we know
the voltage across the element and the current through the element: R = V/I

And to calculate the total overall resistance of a number of resistors connected in this way
we add up the individual resistances. This is done using the following formula:

R total = R1 + R2 +R3 and so on.

In other terms, an Ohmmeter is a measurement device that measures the value of electrical
resistance - in a single component, a group of components, or an entire device.
When measuring resistance, the device or component should not have any power applied to
it.

The meter applies a small voltage which it uses to calculate the resistance. If the component
already has power, it can damage the Ohmmeter, and we will not get an accurate
measurement. Figure 6.

Figure 6. An electric Ohmmeter.

 
 
 Resources 

Tufts University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering:

https://engineering.tufts.edu/ece/

wikiHow:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Total-Resistance-in-Circ
uits%3famp=1

Khan Academy:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.khanacademy.
org/science/ap-physics-1/ap-circuits-topic/dc-ammeters-and-voltmeters-ap/a/dc-volt
meters-and-ammeters-ap1&ved=2ahUKEwi4vq2OvvfoAhUC_KQKHUBbCRgQjjgwD
3oECAEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0KCvUe_5NAseLPFMjQhFY_&cshid=1587402297067