Jared Young Physics 152 10/20/11

Experiment 3: Lab Report

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State the equation for Ohms law. What do the variables V , I, and R stand for, and what are the units of each? Of the units listed, which one is equivalent to coulomb/second? (1 point) From part B2 (unloaded circuit): Produce a graph of output voltage Vout as a function of the sliding contact position x, measured from the bottom end of the slide wire resistor. Verify that the data points fall on a straight line rather than a curve (dont actually compute the slope). Did the current change while you varied the sliding contact position x? (Hint: Your current meter was switched off during this part, but this question can be answered using Ohms law and your graph.) (2 points) From part C2 (unknown resistor): Produce a graph of voltage V as a function of current I. Compute the slope (ignoring uncertainties in voltage and current), which will give the resistance R (in ohms) of the unknown resistor. In the lab, you should also have deduced R (and its uncertainty R) from the color-coding on the side of the resistor itself (recall in-lab question 1). Does your value for R fall within the manufacturers expectations? (1.5 points) From part D2 (identical series/parallel resistors): Using the color code, write the value of R R of each identical resistor used in this part of the experiment (recall in-lab question 1). From this, compute the total resistance Rtot and its uncertainty R for the two cases: (i) resistors in series, and (ii) resistors in parallel. You will need to use the following two equations for computing total resistance: (2 points) Rseries = R1 + R2 From part D2 (identical series/parallel resistors): Produce a graph of voltage V as a function of cur- rent I for the two cases: (i) resistors in

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series, and (ii) resistors in parallel. Include error bars on each data point, where V and I are the uncertainties in voltage and current measurements. Compute the slope and its uncertainty for each graph. (If you dont use graphing software, then show how you found the slope.) Compare your measured values of Rtot for the series and parallel cases to those calculated in the previous question. That is, compute the percent difference for each case. (2.5 points) 6. An Ohmic device is one that obeys Ohms Law. According to your data, are carbon resistors Ohmic devices? Support your answer with references to your graphs and/or equations. (1 point) From part E2 (light bulb): Produce a graph of voltage V as a function of current I. Do all data points fall on a straight line? Given your data, is the resistance of a light bulb constant? Is a light bulb an Ohmic device? (1 point) When a typical circuit is switched on, the net displacement of electrons along a wire is about 1 mm per second. If electrons have such a low net speed, why do lights and devices appear to work instantaneously when switched on? (1 point)

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