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Yaakov Kraftmakher,
The setup
With an inexpensive oscilloscope, it is easy to demonstrate
free oscillations in a series LCR circuit. We use a Kenwood CS4025 model oscilloscope (Fig. 1). The LCR circuit consists of
an SOO-turn coil from PASCO scientific (SF-S611), a 100-nF
capacitor, and a variable 100-0 resistor; instead of the latter,
several fixed resistors can be used. The inductance of the coil
is 12 ml-l. The capacitor C is connected to the Y- input of the
oscilloscope. Rectangular electric pulses from the oscilloscope
intended for calibration purposes (100/120 Hz, 1 V peak-topeak) are used to initiate free oscillations. The source of the
pulses is connected to the LCR circuit through a capacitor C 1 =
1 nP. The capacitor C1 and the LCR circuit form a differentiating circuit, so short positive and negative electric pulses are
periodically applied to the capacitor C [Fig. 2(a)]. The impedance of the calibration output is much lower than the load
impedance.
Free oscillations
The first demonstration shows changes in the frequency
and decay of the free oscillations caused by changing the parameters C and R. The frequency of undamped oscillations
in an LC circuit is Wo = (LCt'h.. Due to energy losses in the
circuit, the frequency of free oscillations w becomes lower: w2
= w02 - "(2, where "( = RI2L is called the decay constant. Here
the resistance R reflects all sources of the energy losses in the
circuit: the resistance of the coil L and of the resistor added,
output of
(a)
THE PHYSICS
(b)
(c)
Fig. 2. Diagram of the setups: (a) basic LCR circuit; (b) LCR circuit
with feedback; (c) circuit for observing self-excited oscillations.
The resistance reflecting all energy losses in the circuit is not
shown.
168
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channel1
TEACHER.
001: 10.1119/1.3555505
Self-excited
Fig. 3. Examples of free oscillations: (a) basic LCR circuit; (b) ferrite rod inside the
inductor; (c) aluminum rod
inside the inductor.
Fig. 4. Examples of oscillations with feedback: (a) positive feedback; (b) negative
feedback;
(c) self-excited
oscillations.
The feedback
The third experiment demonstrates positive or negative
feedback [Fig. 2(b)]. Now there is no need for the 100-Sl variable resistor. The oscilloscope has an output terminal from
one amplification channel (channel l ) and serves also as an
amplifier. The gain of the channel depends on the arranged
sensitivity. The maximum gain achieved with the sensitivity of 1 m VIdiv is 100; for 0.1 VIdiv, the gain becomes unity.
The voltage across the capacitor C is amplified and then fed,
through a variable resistor R [ = 5 kSl, to a coil L[ (feedback
coil) inductively coupled to the coil L. As the variable resistor,
we use a PASCO decade resistance box (PI-9588). A 400-turn
coil (PASCO SF-861O) serves as the feedback coil and is put
adjacent to the coil L. The current in the feedback coil L[ induces an emf in the coil L. It is easy to see that this emf is in
phase with or opposite to the current in the LCR circuit, thus
providing positive or negative feedback. The sign of the feedback depends on the polarity of the two coils. The feedback
enhances or reduces the decay constant of the free oscillations, while the oscillation frequency remains the same (Fig.
4). Therefore, it is easy to distinguish the changes in the decay
caused by the feedback and those due to the ferrite or aluminum rod inside the coil of the LCR circuit.
oscillations
THE PHYSICS
TEACHER.
2011
169
References
1.
2.
G. Chadha, "Using an X- Y plotter to illustrate electrical resonance in an LCR series circuit;' Phys. Educ. 21, 187-188 (1986).
V. Ramachandran, "Revisiting the LCR circuit;' Phys. Educ. 26,
318-321 (1991).
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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www.compadre.org/osp/items/detail.dm?ID=9469
These supplemental simulations for the preceding paper by Yaakov Kraftmakher have been approved by the
author and the TPT editor. Partial funding for the development of this model was obtained through NSF grant
DUE-0937731.
Wolfgang Christian
170
THE PHYSICS
TEACHER.