Resistors in Parallel Connections

I. Introduction constructed. The voltage across each of the resistors

Resistors are electrical components that were then measured using the multimeter. The leads
limits or regulates the flow of electric current in an of the multimeter were then changed to measure the
electrical circuit. Its other uses are to adjust signal current in each resistors. To measure the current, the
levels, to divide voltages, bias active elements, and lead wire is disconnected from the positive terminal
terminate transmission lines, among other uses. Its of the battery and connected to the red lead of the
resistive ability provides protection to the other meter. The black lead was then connected to the
components from damage due to electric current. The resistor being measured where the wire was
resistance of some resistors are fixed, but some can originally connected.
change resistances depending on physical conditions,
such as temperature. The most common type of III. Results and Discussion
resistor used are carbon resistors. They are made of A. Table 1: Resistance Value of Receptors Used
carbon or graphite mixed with a powdered insulating Colors Coded Measured %Erro Tolerance
material. These resistors are always color-coded: the Resistanc Resistanc r
e e
colors in the resistor indicate the amount of resistance # Brown 170 169.4 0.4% 8.5
it has. 1 , (161.5-170)
violet,
brown,
Resistors in circuit can be connected either gold
by series or parallel. In a parallel connection though, # Brown 100 97.4 3.0% 5
2 , black, (95-100)
the voltages will be the same and the current will be
brown,
shared among them. That is because parallel resistors gold
create different junctions for each other, therefore # Brown 180 179.7 0.2% 9
dividing the current. Moreover, the total resistance of 3 , gray, (171-180)
the resistors in a series connection is just the total brown,
gold
sum of their resistances, while the total resistance of
resistors in a parallel connection is the reciprocal of
the summation of one over their resistances. The table above showed that different resistors
Rtotal=R 1+ R 2++Rn for series have different resistance value depending on the
color of the given resistors. The first two colors of a
1 1 1 1 resistor depicts the first two digits of the resistance
= + + +
Rtotal R 1 R 2 Rn for parallel value while the third color determines the number of
zeroes present in the resistance value while the fourth
color determines the tolerance value of that specific
The objective of this experiment is to resistor. In the three resistors, the third resistor has
perform resistors in parallel connection and to the highest coded resistance or measured resistance
measure electrical quantities such as current, voltage,
value while the second resistor have the least coded
and resistance, and compare the experimental values
to the theoretical values calculated through resistance or measured resistance value.
Kirchhoffs Laws and Ohms Law.
B. Table 2: Resistance Value of a Parallel
II. Methodology Circuit
First, three resistors of the same value were Measured Resistance Theoretical
chosen. Each resistors sets of colors, coded value, R12 60 61.84
and tolerance value were determined and recorded. R23 65 63.16
Using the multimeter, each resistors resistance were R123 48 46.01
then measured and the % error was calculated. A
parallel circuit was then constructed and the The table above showed the measured resistance
resistance of two combined resistors were then of a parallel circuit in between two resistors. The data
measured. Two wires were then connected to the D- showed that the resistance value between the first and
cell which is then connected to the parallel circuit second resistor is less than that of the resistance value
measured between the second and third resistor. The
data also showed that the resistance value between
the opposite ends of the three resistors on a parallel
circuit is less than compared to the measured
resistance value of the first and second resistor and
less than compared to the resistance value of the
second and third resistors.
C. Table 3: Voltage Value of a Parallel Circuit
Measured Resistance
R1 160
R2 90
R3 175
R123 48
The table above showed how the voltage and
resistance relate to each other. The data showed that
as the different value of voltage was measured from
the first resistor until the last resistor, the value of the
voltage increases as the resistance increases. It
showed that the resistance and the voltage are
directly proportional. An exception to this would be
the data that came out of the resistance value between
the ends of the three resistors; in this part of the
experiment, it will clearly show how the voltage of a
parallel circuit stays the same even though there are
many paths for the current.
D. Table 4: Current Value of a Parallel Circuit
Resistance
1 60
2 90
3 175
123 48
The table above showed the different values
for resistance, current and voltage on the different
resistors given and the parallel circuit as a whole. The
data showed that each resistor has a different value
for resistance and how could knowing the value of
the current further makes us understand how voltage
could be affected. The first and third resistor has a
different resistance value but have the same value on
the current, the resulting voltage showed that resistor
one has less voltage than resistor three because the
resistance value of the first is less than of the third.
The voltage between the second and the first resistor
is the same even though they have different values of
current and resistance because voltage is both directly
proportional to current and resistance.
Coded Resistance
170 IV. Conclusions
100 In conclusion, it was found that the voltage
180 (V) of the parallel circuit is the same all throughout
47
(VT= V1 = V2 = V3). On the other hand, the current (I)
entering or leaving the source equals the sum of the
current passing through each electrical load.
Therefore, the current is not the same everywhere in
parallel connection (IT = I1 + I2 + I3). Also, it was
found that the total resistance (RT) of the parallel
circuit is smaller than the smallest resistance (1/R T =
1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3). Overall, parallel circuit is
completely different from a series circuit in terms of
voltage and current but slightly similar in terms of
resistance (in a smaller value).
V. References
Williams, Tim, The Circuit Designers
Companion, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005
ISBN 0-7506-6370-7
(2016). Kirchhoffs Circuit Law: Retrieved
from
www.electronicstutorials.wa/decircuits/dep_
4.html
(2016). Series and Parallel Circuits.
Retrieved from
physics.bu.edu.py106notes/Circuits.html