Rev.
1/18
Experiment 26U: AC Circuits – RC Circuit with
Oscilloscope
Purpose
To study the properties of an alternating current circuit containing a resistance R and a capacitance C,
using both an AC multimeter and an oscilloscope.
Apparatus
a) an AC power supply
b) an AC multimeter
c) a dual channel oscilloscope
d) a sample containing a capacitor and three resistors
Theory
Alternating Current (AC)
In an AC circuit the current flows
sinusoidally at a certain frequency f. This
means that the magnitude and direction of the
current varies. The direction change is shown
by the sign of the current changing from plus
to minus as shown in Figure 1. You can also
see how the magnitude of the current changes
in this figure.
Equation (1) gives us both magnitude and direction of the instantaneous current * i as a function
of its frequency and time:
i = IMAX · sin ωt = IMAX · sin 2π f t (1)
where IMAX = maximum amplitude of the current; f = frequency of the current changes; ω = angular
frequency = 2πf . The unit of the frequency is hertz (cycles/second) while the unit of the angular
frequency is radians/sec.
Phase Relationships
When an alternating current (shown by the circle at the top) given by
equation (1) flows through a resistor, the instantaneous voltage v R between the
terminals of the resistor is given by Ohm’s Law using the instantaneous
current:
vR = i R = IMAX R · sin ωt (2)
and the voltage is said to be in phase with the current. This means that vR and i are zero at the same
instant of time, and they also reach their maximum value at the same instant of time.
**
In this lab small case letters for currents and voltages will be used to denote instantaneous values which are
functions of time.
136a
Experiment 26U
When a capacitor is inserted in series with the resistor, the current flows to and from the power
supply as the capacitor is alternately charged and discharged although current cannot flow through the
capacitor. Since it takes time for voltage to build up in the capacitor, the phase of the capacitor’s voltage
is different from the phase of the current. The instantaneous voltage vC across the capacitor is:
1 1 π 1 π
vc = - ωC · IMAX · cosωt = - ωC · IMAX · sin(ωt + 2 )= ωC · IMAX · sin(ωt - 2
) (3)
π
The phase of the voltage is decreased by 2 so that the voltage peaks after the current peaks. We say
π
that the voltage “lags” the current by 90º (or 2 in radians), or that the current “leads” the voltage by
90º. You can see how the peaks of current and vC occur at different times in Figure 2.
Peak to Peak Voltage
A quantity we use to describe voltage is the peak-to-peak voltage (V PP), which is defined as the voltage
difference between the time-varying signal’s highest and lowest voltage. (Figure 5) The maximum value
is the peak-to-peak value divided by two.
RMS Values
In AC circuits, harmonically varying quantities like voltages and currents are characterized by their
effective amplitudes. It is customary to use Root Mean Square values defined by:
Effective Value = Root Mean Square (RMS) value = peak amplitude (4)
√2
IRMS = 1 IMAX VRMS = 1 VMAX
√2 √2
Phasor Diagrams
Graphically, sinusoidally varying quantities are represented by vectors in a vector diagram called a
Phasor Diagram and added as vectors. The reason for this is that the total RMS voltage across two or
more circuit elements - such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors - connected in series, are out of phase
and. Their sum is the vector sum of their individual RMS voltages. For instance, a resistor in series with
a capacitor gives a phasor diagram like that in Figure 3 and Formulae (5) will apply.
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Experiment 26U
A phasor diagram is constructed as follows:
i. Choose a scale in volts appropriate for your data.
ii. Plot all voltages using their RMS values in the chosen scale.
iii. Voltages in phase with the current (resistor voltages) are plotted as vectors in the positive x
direction which is to the right as in Figure 3.
iv. Voltages lagging the current by 90° (capacitor voltages) are plotted as vectors in the negative y
direction downward as in Figure 3.
v. All other voltages are plotted as vectors in a similar fashion, according to their phase with respect
to the current.
vi. The total circuit voltage is found by vector addition of the voltage of all the circuit components.
This value should equal the value found by Formulae 5.
NOTE: In AC circuits, all phases are given in the range between + 90° and - 90° . You may have to
convert values found from the tan-1 function on your calculator.
Reactances and Impedances
The quantity appearing in equation (3), 1/ c, is called the capacitive reactance of the capacitor X c:
Xc = 1 = 1 (6)
ωC 2π fC
and is measured in ohms when C is in farads and ω or f is in hertz. The RMS values of the current and
the voltage across the capacitor are related by:
VRMS = IRMS XC (7)
If we have a capacitor and a resistor in series then the voltage across the resistor alone is:
VR = I R (8)
but for the RC circuit, using Equations (5), this becomes:
VRC = I R2 + XC2 = I · ZRC tan ØRC = -XC (9)
R
The quantity ZRC = R2 + XC2 is the impedance of the RC combination and is measured in ohms.
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Experiment 26U
Procedure Part I. Constant Frequency using AC Multimeter
a) Your instructor will explain to you how to use the power supply and the AC multimeter. Set your
voltmeter so that you will be using the 10 volt AC scale (red scale) on the multimeter. Read it to
0.05 volt accuracy. Ask your instructor for help if you are not sure that you can do this correctly.
With the AC power supply unplugged and its power
switch off, set up the circuit in Fig. 4, using resistance
R1 ¿ 4,000Ω. Record its exact value. Set the
voltage output knob to its minimum position.
Set the frequency f =2,000 hertz and record this value.
Attach your voltmeter probes to the terminals of the
power supply so you can measure the output voltage.
CHECK YOUR SET-UP WITH YOUR LAB INSRUCTOR
BEFORE PROCEEDING FURTHER.
b) Upon your instructor’s approval, plug in your power supply and turn the power ON. Slowly turn
the output knob (amplitude knob) and increase the output voltage to your maximum voltage
(probably ~9 volts). Record it to an accuracy of 0.05 volts as V OUT in the table below.
c) Measure and record the voltage VR across the resistor and then VC across the capacitor. Measure
and record the voltage VRC across both of them together. Record to 0.05volt accuracy as before.
d) Change the resistance to R2 ¿ 2,000 Ω and record its exact value. Using the same frequency (f
= 2,000 hertz) return the voltage output knob to its MINIMUM POSITION. Put your voltmeter
probes on the terminals of the power supply and set the output voltage to your maximum. It may
not be the same as in section (b). Record its value. Repeat the measurements of (c).
e) Change the resistance to R3 ¿ 1,000 Ω and repeat this process.
Part I: AC Multimeter f = 2000 hertz C = __________ µF
R (ohms) VOUT-RMS(volts) VR-RMS (volts) VC-RMS (volts) VRC-RMS (volts)
R1 =
R2 =
R3 =
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Experiment 26U
Procedure Part II. Different Frequencies using an AC Multimeter
and an Oscilloscope
(A) AC Multimeter
f) Follow the procedures of Part I and set up your circuit using R1 ¿ 4,000Ω. Set the frequency f1
= 1,500 hertz. Adjust the output voltage to your maximum voltage. Repeat (c) and record
everything carefully in the table below.
g) Using the same resistance, set the frequency f2 = 600 hertz. Repeat (c) and record.
h) Using the same resistance, set the frequency f3 = 400 hertz and record.
Part II: AC Multimeter R = _________ Ω
f (hertz) VR-rms (volts) VC-rms (volts) VRC-rms (volts)
1500
600
400
(B) Oscilloscope
In this section, we will use an oscilloscope to make measurements of the circuit’s voltage. An
oscilloscope is a device that measures voltage and shows us a picture of how voltage changes over time.
On the oscilloscope display (Figure 5), voltage is the vertical axis and time is the horizontal axis.
You can control the scale of the voltage by adjusting the
VOLTS/BOX knob and time by adjusting TIME/BOX
knob. Your instructor will explain to you how to use the
oscilloscope in more detail. VPP
Using the oscilloscope, we can easily measure the peak to
peak voltage (Vpp) and the frequency of the time-varying
signal. (Vmax = Vpp/2) We cannot directly measure the
T
frequency, but we can measure the period (T) which is the
amount of time it takes to complete one full cycle (ie the
time between two peaks). Once the period is measured, the
frequency can be calculated using the relationship f = 1/T.
You must be careful with your units and make sure T is the
period in seconds so that the frequency will be in hertz
(Hz).
Figure 5
For this part use the same RC circuit. Set f1 = 1500 Hz
and leave the voltage as is.
i) Set-up the oscilloscope as follows:
Turn on the oscilloscope power.
On the digital oscilloscope, CH1 should be lit and you should see the signal without adjustments.
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Experiment 26U
For the analog oscilloscope:
o Set the analog scope’s source to CH1.
o Make sure CH1 toggle switch on the left is set to AC and leave all the other buttons at their off
positions.
o Use the up/down position knob to position the horizontal line in the middle of the screen.
o Use the INTENSITY and FOCUS knobs to adjust the line.
j) Connect the oscilloscope CH1 input across the resistor by connecting one wire to each side. You
should see a whole sine wave form from peak to peak on the screen. Adjust the VOLTS/BOX knob
and TIME/BOX knobs if necessary.
Copy the Oscilloscope Measurements, leaving enough room for calculations. Measure the peak-to-
peak voltage across the resistor VRPP by counting the total vertical boxes from peak to trough and
multiplying it by the VOLTS/BOX scale. (On digital oscilloscope, the CH1 VOLTS/BOX reading is
in yellow on the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.) Write down the number of boxes to 0.1 box,
the VOLTS/BOX scale and calculate VR-PP according to the formula below. Show the calculations
and the result in your table.
VR-PP = BOXES x VOLTS/BOX
HINT: You can use the up/down position knob to place the trough of the wave on a horizontal grid
line, and the left/right x-position knob to place a peak on the y axis for easier measurement.
k) Measure and calculate VC-PP (across the capacitor) and VRC-PP (across resistor and capacitor).
l) Find the period T by counting the horizontal boxes between two adjacent peaks of the wave and
multiplying it by the TIME/BOX scale. (On digital oscilloscope the TIME/BOX reading is in white
on the bottom middle of the screen.) Record the number of boxes, the TIME/BOX including units,
and calculate T by using T = BOXES x TIME/BOX.
m) Set f2 = 600 Hz and repeat procedures j,k,l.
n) Set f3 = 400 Hz and repeat procedures j,k,l.
Oscilloscope Measurements R = _________ Ω
f (hertz) VR-PP (volts) VC-PP (volts) VR-CPP (volts) Period T (s)
V = BOXES x VOLTS/BOX T = BOXES x TIME/BOX
1500
600 (Show Your Calculations in this Table)
400
Procedure Part III. High Frequency using AC Multimeter
o) Using the same resistance R1 ¿ 4,000Ω, set the frequency to 40,000 hertz. Adjust the output
as usual. Measure and record VR, VC, VRC with the AC multimeter.
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Experiment 26U
Lab Report
Part I
1) Using your measured values of VR and VC draw a separate phasor diagram, as in Figure 3, for
each of the three runs. Use graph paper. Write down scale you are using.
2) Prepare a table as shown below. To find the deduced values of VRC and ØRC use the measured
values of VR, and VC and Formulae (5). To find graphical values of ØRC, measure the angles with
a protractor, in your phasor diagrams.
TABLE ONE: (CONSTANT FREQUENCY) f = _______________
DEDUCED GRAPHICAL %
RUN R MEASURED VALUES
VALUES VALUES DISCREPANC
# (ohms)
VR VC VRC VRC ØRC ØRC Y IN VRC
1
2 (write units for all quantities)
3
Fill out this table using your calculator. For the % discrepancies use the measured VRC as the basis.
Part II
3) Prepare a table as shown below and fill it out using the measured values of VR, VC, and VRC and
the formulae given. Include units for all quantities.
TABLE TWO: DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES with AC Multimeter R = ____________
MEASURED VALUES DEDUCED VALUES
f
I = VR XC = VC ZRC = √ R2+ XC2 VRC
(hertz) VR VC VRC
R I ZRC
1,500
600 (write units for all quantities)
400
TABLE THREE
f XC C
4) Copying the values of f and XC in Table Two, fill
out Table Three and calculate the capacitance C
of your sample.
Give your results in microfarads. AVERAGE:
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Experiment 26U
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Experiment 26U
5) Complete the table below using only the data collected from the 1500 Hz frequency runs.
R = _________ Ω C = ___________ µF f = 1500 Hz
Oscilloscope Data Multimeter Data % discrepancy
VPP Vmax = VOSC-RMS = fOSC = 1/T VRMS f VRMS f
VPP/2 VMAX/√ 2
VR
VC 1500
VRC
V osc rms −Vrms
% discrepancy in Vrms =
| |
1/2(Vosc rms +Vrms )
x 100 % % discrepancy in f =
fosc−f
| 1/2(fosc +f )|x 100 %
Part III
6) According to your understanding of AC circuits, and the value of C which you obtained, what
should be the value of XC at f = 40,000 hertz? How does this conform with your measurements of
VR, and VC , as compared to VRC ? Explain briefly.
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