LABORATORY ACTIVITY NO.

1
Series and Parallel Circuits
Voltage Divider and Current Divider Rules
I. INTRODUCTION

There are two basic ways in which to connect more than two circuit
components: series and parallel. The notable difference between these two
circuits is the way the components are connected to each other. In a series
circuit, all components are connected from one end to another, resulting to a
single path for electrons to flow. In a parallel circuit, on the other hand,
components are connected across each other forming two sets of electrically
common points. This results to multiple paths for electrons to flow but having
only one voltage across all components. Shown below are the visual
representation of the aforementioned types of circuits.

Figure 1. Series Circuit Figure 2. Parallel Circuit

Given that the components in a series circuit are connected from end-to-
end, it can be concluded that the current flowing at each resistor is equal but,
that is not the case for the voltage. To calculate for the voltage of each resistor,
aside from Ohm’s Law, the voltage divider rule (VDR) can also be applied. The
main concept of this rule is that the voltage is divided between two resistors
which are connected in series in direct proportion to their resistance.
Applying the voltage divider rule (VDR) to the series circuit shown in figure
1, the voltage across resistors R1, R2, and R3 can be written as:

𝑹𝟏 𝑹𝟐 𝑹𝟑
𝑽𝟏 = 𝑽 𝑽𝟐 = 𝑽 𝑽𝟑 = 𝑽
𝑹𝟏 + 𝑹𝟐 + 𝑹𝟑 𝒔 𝑹𝟏 + 𝑹𝟐 + 𝑹𝟑 𝒔 𝑹𝟏 + 𝑹 𝟐 + 𝑹𝟑 𝒔
 Conversely, a general property of a circuit connected in parallel is having
an equal voltage across all the resistors. However, since there formed multiple
paths for electrons to flow, current in each resistor is different from one another.
In solving for the value of the individual currents, the current divider rule (CDR)
can be used. This principle is derived from the ability of a parallel circuit to
proportionally divide the total current into fractional parts. The current divider
rule (CDR) states that the ratio of total resistance to individual resistance is the
same ratio as the individual (branch) current to the total current. As compared
to using Ohm’s Law in determining branch currents, this method is relatively
less tedious.
Applying the current divider rule (CDR) to the parallel circuit given in figure
2, the branch currents can be written in terms of the total current as:

𝑹𝟐 𝑹𝟏
𝑰𝟏 = 𝑰 𝑰𝟐 = 𝑰
𝑹𝟏 + 𝑹𝟐 𝒔 𝑹𝟏 + 𝑹𝟐 𝒔

OBJECTIVES
In this laboratory experiment, students are expected to apply and better
understand the properties of Series and Parallel Circuits, as well as the Voltage
Divider and Current Divider rules. Specifically, it seeks to meet the following
objectives:
1. To study the voltage-current relationships of series and parallel
circuits.
2. To verify the voltage divider and current divider rules.
3. To utilize an online circuit simulator to aid in learning about
circuits

MATERIALS
Multisim Live (https://www.multisim.com/)
 CIRCUIT DIAGRAMS

Figure 3. Series- Parallel Circuit I Figure 4. Series- Parallel Circuit II

FIGURE 3 FIGURE 4
Resistance Resistance
R2 = 100 ohms R2 = 62.5 ohms
R3 = 150 ohms R3 = 75 ohms
R4 = 220 ohms R4 = 265 ohms
R6 = 330 ohms R6 = 150 ohms

II. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

Simulation:
In order to efficaciously analyze the voltage-current relationships of the
given series-parallel circuits, Multisim, an online circuit simulator is utilized. On the
blank schematic workspace of Multisim, students are to create the circuits provided
in Figures 3 and 4. However, components can only be arranged vertically and
horizontally in the workspace that is why the circuit must be reconstructed in such
a way that all components are vertically and horizontally aligned.
In building the circuit in the workspace, one must start with placing the
components such as source and resistors that can be found on the panel located
on the left side of the screen. Once placed, these components can be connected
 through wires by simply clicking on the respective component, say for example,
the source, and taking it towards the component that it needs to be connected to.
After finishing the layout of the circuit, the given values can now be specified.
Then, the students can proceed to attaching the current and voltage probes
to each branch. In this step, it is essential to take note of the direction of the flow
of the current to avoid errors in values once simulating. Additionally, in dealing with
voltage probes, the voltage reference must be carefully considered so that the
reading later on will be accurate. Once everything is properly placed, the run
simulation button can be clicked and when the probes show the values of the
current and voltage, the simulation can be ended. These values are to be recorded
in Table 1.
As for getting the Req, since there is no available tool in multisim live in
getting the value of the total resistance, it will be manually computed using Ohm’s
Law which states that Req = Vs/Is. Then, record the result in Table 1. Repeat this
procedure in making Figure 4 and record all the data in Table 2.

III. RESULTS

Figure 5. Series-Parallel Circuit I (Current)

Figure 6. Series-Parallel Circuit I (Voltage)

Figure 7. Series-Parallel Circuit II (Current)

 Figure 6. Series-Parallel Circuit II (Voltage)
Is I2 I3 I4 I5 I6
Work Bench 263. 45 mA 103. 45 mA 160.00 mA 62. 069 mA 222.07 mA 41. 379 mA

Req V2 V3 V4 V5 V6
Work Bench 91.0989 Ω 10.345 V 24 V 13. 655 V 0V 13. 655 V

Table 1. Simulation and Experimental Results of Figure 5 and 6

Is I2 I3 I4 I5 I6
Work Bench 118. 35 mA 99.969 mA 18.377 mA 18. 377 mA - 118. 35 mA

Req V2 V3 V4 V5 V6
Work Bench 202.7883 Ω 6.2481 V 1. 3783 V 4.8698 V - 17. 752 V

Table 2. Simulation and Experimental Results of Figure 7 and 8

IV. DISCUSSION

Refer to figure 5 and 6 and the results obtained in Table 1 and answer the
following questions:

1. Are R4 and R6 in parallel or in series? Why? Refer to voltage current

measurements for your answer to justify.

Answer:

Referring to the voltage measurement of R4 and R6, it can be concluded

that they are in parallel connection since both are 13. 655 V. As per definition of
a parallel circuit, all resistors have equal voltage. More so, Since the given is a
series-parallel circuit, this proves that it is in parallel connection because the
current flowing through R4 and R6 which are 62. 069 mA and 41. 379 mA,
respectively, add up to 103. 45mA - the current measurement in R2 which is
connected in series with R46 when the circuit is further simplified.

2. Are R3 and R4 in parallel or in series? Why? Justify with solution.

Answer:

Solely basing on the measurement of the voltage drop and current flow in
R3 and R4 acquired from the simulation in multisim live, it can be determined that
they are not connected in parallel nor in series because both the voltage drops
and current flow of R3 and R4 are not equal.

Determining the relationship of R3 and R4 using their voltage drops:

Given that R4=R6=13.655V, it means that R4 and R6 are parallel.

If R2 = 10.345 V and R3= 24 V, it follows that,

R2 + R46 = 24V
R246 = R3 =24V

∴ R246 and R3 are connected in parallel.

Determining the relationship of R3 and R4 using their current flows:

Since R4= 62. 069 mA, R6=41. 379 mA, and R2= 103. 45mA,

R4 + R6 = 103.45mA
R46 = R2 = 103.45mA

∴R46 and R2 are connected in series

 Based on the analyzation above of the relationship of R 3 and R4, it can be
concluded that they are neither connected in parallel nor in series but there is
an indirect relationship between the two resistors that completes the entire circuit.

3. Are Vs and R3 in parallel or in series? Why? Justify with solution.

Answer:

Vs and R3 are connected in parallel because both their voltages resulted

to 24V based on the simulation. It can also be proven using Ohm’s Law

Given: Calculating for V3:

I3 = 160 mA  0.16 A V3 = I3R3
R3 = 150 Ω V3 = (0.16 A) (150 Ω)
V3 = 24 V

Since Vs = 24V, then V3 = Vs.

∴ Vs and R3 are connected in parallel

4. Are Vs and R6 in series or in parallel? Why? Justify with solution.

Answer:
 Based on the values of voltage and current acquired from multisim live, it
can be concluded that Vs and R6 are neither parallel nor in series because the
values of their voltage and currents are not equal.

Determining the relationship of Vs and R6 using their voltage drops:

Given that R6=R4=13.655V, it means that R4 and R6 are parallel.
If R2 = 10.345 V and Vs = 24 V, it follows that,

R2 + R46 = 24V
R246 = Vs = 24V

∴ R246 and Vs are connected in parallel.

Determining the relationship of Vs and R6 using their current flows:

Since R4= 62. 069 mA, R6=41. 379 mA, and R2= 103. 45mA,

R4 + R6 = 103.45mA
R46 = R2

∴R46 and R2 are connected in series

Given that R3= 160 mA and Vs = 263.45 mA,

R2 + R3 = 263.45 mA
R23 = Vs = 263.45 mA,

∴ R23 and Vs are connected in series

Since R46 = R2, then R346 =Vs

∴ R346 and Vs are connected in series

From this, it can be concluded that R6 alone cannot be in series nor in

parallel connection with Vs.

5. Are Vs and Req in parallel or in series? Why? Justify with solution.

Answer:

Req = R2346

Given: R2 = 100Ω , R3 = 150Ω , R4 = 220Ω , R6 = 330Ω

Since V4 = V6, R4 and R6 are connected in parallel then,

1 1 −1
𝑅46 = ( + )
𝑅4 𝑅6
1 1 −1
𝑅 =( + )
6. Is VDR applicable for R3 and R4? Why? Justify your answer on the basis of
theory given in the introduction.

Answer:

No, because the voltage divider rule (VDR) is only applicable for resistors
connected in series. Since it was justified in question 2 that R3 and R4 are neither
in parallel nor in series connection, VDR is not applicable.

7. Is CDR applicable for R4 and R6? Why? Justify your answer on the basis of
theory given in the introduction.
 Answer:

Yes, because the current divider rule (CDR) is only applicable for resistors
connected in parallel. Since it was proven in question 1 that R4 and R6 are in
parallel connection, the use of CDR is appropriate.

8. Is the parallel combination of R4 and R6 in series or in parallel with R2? Why?

Justify.

Answer:

One of the properties of resistors connected in series is that the value of

their currents are equal.

Since R4= 62. 069 mA, R6=41. 379 mA, and R2= 103. 45mA,

R4 + R6 = 103.45mA
R46 = R2 = 103.45mA

∴R46 and R2 are connected in series

Refer to figure 7 and 8 and the results obtained in Table 2 and answer the following
questions:

9. Are R4 and R6 in parallel or in series? Why? Refer to voltage current

measurements for your answer to justify.

Answer:

The resulting value for R4 and R6 are 18.377mA, 4.8698 V and 118.35mA,
17.752 V, respectively. Both their current and voltage are not equal. Therefore,
they are not connected in series nor in parallel.

10. Are R3 and R4 in parallel or in series? Why? Justify with solution.

Answer:
 R3 and R4 are connected in series because both their currents resulted to
18.377mA based on the simulation. It can also be proven using Ohm’s Law

Given: Calculating for I3:

V3 =1.3783 V I3 = V3 /R3
R3 = 75 Ω I3 = (1.3783 V) / (75Ω)
I3 = 0.018377 A  18.377mA

Given: Calculating for I4:

V4 = 4.8698 V I4 = V4 /R4
R4 = 265 Ω I4 = (4.8698 V) / (265Ω)
I4 = 0.018377 A  18.377mA

Since I3 = I4,

∴ R3 and R4 are connected in series

11. Are Vs and R3 in parallel or in series? Why? Justify with solution.

Answer:

Based on the values of voltage and current acquired from multisim live, it
can be concluded that Vs and R3 are neither parallel nor in series connection
because the values of their voltage and currents are not equal.

Determining the relationship of Vs and R3 using their voltage drops:

Given that R3 =1.3783 V, and R4 =4.8698 V, and R2 =6. 2481 V

R3 + R4 = 6. 2481 V
R34 = R2 = 6. 2481 V

∴ R34 and R2 are connected in parallel.

If R6 =17.752 V, it follows that,

R2 + R6 = 24 V
R26 = Vs = 24 V

Since R34 = R2, then R346 = Vs

∴ R346 and Vs are connected in parallel.

 Determining the relationship of Vs and R3 using their current flows:
Given that R3= R4 = 18.377 mA, it means that they are connected in series.
If R2= 99. 969mA and R6 = Vs = 118.35 mA, it follows that,

R34 + R2 = 118. 346 mA  118.35 mA

R234 = Vs

∴R234 and Vs are connected in series

Based from this, it can be concluded that R3 alone cannot be in series nor
in parallel connection with Vs.

12. Are Vs and R6 in series or in parallel? Why? Justify with solution.

Answer:

Vs and R6 are connected in series because both their currents resulted to

118.35 mA based on the simulation. It can also be proven using Ohm’s Law

Given: Calculating for Is:

Vs = 24 V Is = Vs /Rs
Rs = 202.7883 Ω Is = (24 V) / (202.7883 Ω)
Is = 0.11835 A  118.35mA

Given: Calculating for I6:

V6 = 17.752 V I6 = V6 /R6
R6 = 150 Ω I6 = (17.752 V) / (150Ω)
I6 = 0.11835 A  118.35mA

Since Is = I6,

∴ Vs and R6 are connected in series

13. Are Vs and Req in parallel or in series? Why? Justify with solution.

Answer:

Req = R2346

Given: R2 = 62.5Ω , R3 = 75Ω , R4 = 265Ω , R6 = 150Ω

Since I3 = I4, R3 and R4 are connected in series then,

𝑅34 = R 3 + R 4
𝑅34 = 75Ω + 265 Ω
𝑅34 = 340 Ω

Since V34 = V2, R34 and R2 are connected in parallel then,

1 1 −1
𝑅234 = ( + )
𝑅2 𝑅34
1 1 −1
𝑅234 = ( + )
62.5Ω 340Ω
8500
𝑅234 = Ω
161

Since I234 = I6, R234 and R6 are connected in series then,

𝑅2346 = 𝑅234 + 𝑅6
8500
𝑅2346 = Ω + 150 Ω
161
𝑅2346 = 202. 7950Ω
𝑅𝑒𝑞 = 202. 7950Ω

Since Is = Ieq = 118.35 mA  0.11835 A

𝑉𝑒𝑞 = 𝐼𝑒𝑞 𝑅𝑒𝑞
𝑉𝑒𝑞 = (0.11835 A)(202. 7950Ω)
𝑉𝑒𝑞 = 24 𝑉

Since Vs = 24 V, it follows that Vs = Veq =24 V

∴ Vs and Req are connected in parallel

14. Is VDR applicable for R3 and R4? Why? Justify your answer on the basis of
theory given in the introduction.
 Answer:

Yes. The voltage divider rule (VDR) is applicable for R3 and R4 in finding
the value of their respective voltages since they are connected in series as proven
in question 10.

15. Is CDR applicable for R4 and R6? Why? Justify your answer on the basis of
theory given in the introduction.

Answer:

No. The current divider rule (CDR) is not applicable for R4 and R6 since it is
only applicable for resistors in parallel connection and it was proven in question 9
that R4 and R6 are neither in series nor in parallel connection.

16. Is the parallel combination of R4 and R6 in series or in parallel with R2? Why?
Justify with solution.

Answer:

Since figure 4 has an open circuit at V5, it is not possible for R4 and R6 to
be connected in parallel, thus, its connection to R2 cannot be determined.

V. CONCLUSION

Circuits are primarily classified into two: series and parallel. The
components in a series circuit are connected end-to-end resulting to same amount
 of current flow among all the resistors. However, their voltages vary from one
resistor to another. To get the value of these voltages, aside from Ohm’s Law, the
voltage divider rule (VDR) can be applied. It is important to note that VDR can only
be used when the given circuit is in series connection. A parallel circuit, on the
other hand, has its components connected across each other resulting to multiple
paths for electrons to flow resulting to different currents and equal voltage across
all the resistors. In getting the value of the individual current of the resistors in a
parallel circuit, the current divider rule (CDR) can be applied. But this is only
appropriate to use when the circuit is in parallel connection.
Furthermore, the basic concepts in electrical engineering such as the Ohm’s
Law which states the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance is
essential to fully grasp the idea of how circuits operate.
These basic concepts of circuits can be applied in solving more complicated
Series-Parallel Circuits in terms of determining Voltage-Current relationships.
More so, the utilization of the online circuit simulator, Multisim, is of great aid when
it comes to learning more comprehensively especially in this online setup because
it offers a lot of features that can provide better understanding in the basics of
circuits and electronics in general.

VI. REFERENCES

Agarwal, T. (2020, November 18). Voltage Divider Rule : Calculation, Examples &
Its Applications. ElProCus - Electronic Projects for Engineering Students.
https://www.elprocus.com/voltage-dividerrulewithexamples/#:%7E:text=
The%20voltage%20divider%20rule%20is%20used%20to%20solve%20
circuits%20to,direct%20proportion%20to%20their%20resistance.

Kuphaldt, T. R. (2021, January 11). Current Divider Circuits and the Current
Divider Formula. Divider Circuits And Kirchhoff’s Laws | Electronics
 Textbook.https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/direct-current/chpt-
6/current-divider-circuits/

Libretexts. (2021, March 20). 5.1: What are “Series” and “Parallel” Circuits?
WorkforceLibreTexts.https://workforce.libretexts.org/Bookshelves
/Electronics_Technology/Book%3A_Electric_Circuits_I__Direct_
Current_(Kuphaldt)/05%3A_Series_And_Parallel_Circuits/5.01%
3A_What_are_Series_and_Parallel_Circuits