Hello Electronics tech classmates,
I'm submitting my work for the 2nd Practical Exercise of the program.
I thought that I knew my Series and Parallel circuits rather well:
* For a series circuit, add up the resistor values.
* For a parallel circuit, calculate the resistors value.
* For a series-parallel circuit, calculate the parallel circuit resistor values first and then treat the value as just another "resistor" in the Series portion of the circuit. Add the single parallel circuit resistor value together with each resistor in the series circuit.
The haunting words of P.E.#2 come forth from page 33 (step #4):
"At this time, R6 is connected in parallel with all of the other resistors."
No it's not. R6 were connected in series (see photo schematic. If it were in parallel, its poles with match up with the poles of the other resistors, when in fact its poles were in serial alignment, essentially being used as conductors, except as R1, R2, and R3 were concerned -- the first three resistors to be placed in parallel.
But that's not really my problem ...
My problem was that I get 740 kΩ for the calculated resistance of the complete circuit, and I get 169 kΩ for the hands-on digital multimeter reading taken at the final resistor.
...When I follow the instructions of the exercise, I get 172 kΩ, which were arright with the 169 kΩ measurement on opposite poles of connected R6.
I can't figure out -- though the calculations confirm and validate the formula recommended for the exercise -- why the addition of R6 connects "in parallel," in contradiction to what I know about the circuit.
Were this because there is no cell nor battery in the circuit to define ΔI?
I'm certainly at a loss on this one. I don't think I've overlooked anything in the reading, but I can't figure out why you get a parallel arrangement out of a series placement to do the math.
I can see that the calculation works out as if R6 were in parallel, though.
Can anyone help?