Potential Divider Circuits

Name ____________________________________________________ Date_____________ Hr. ___

Multiple Choice. Choose the best answer to each question.

1. Which one of the following shows a correct circuit, using ideal voltmeters and ammeters, for
measuring the I-V characteristic of a filament lamp?
A. B.
A

A
V V

C. D.

A A
V V

2. In the circuits below, the cells each have the same emf and zero internal resistance. All the
resistors have the same resistance.

Circuit X Circuit Y Circuit Z

Which of the following gives the current through the cells in order of increasing magnitude?

Lowest current Highest current

A. X Y Z

B. Z X Y

C. Y Z X

D. Y X Z

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3. A battery of emf E and negligible internal resistance is connected to three resistors, each of
resistance R, a voltmeter and a switch, as shown below.

R R

The voltmeter has infinite resistance.

What are the readings on the voltmeter when the switch is open and when it is closed?

Switch open Switch closed

A. 0 less than E

B. 0 E

C. E less than E

D. E E

4. In the circuit shown, the voltmeter has a resistance of 20 k and the battery has an emf of 6.0 V
and negligible internal resistance.
6.0 V

10 k 20 k

V
20 k

The reading on the voltmeter is

A. 2.0 V.

B. 3.0 V.

C. 4.0 V.

D. 6.0 V.

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Short Answer. Answer the following questions in complete sentences and show all work.

5. This question is about an electric circuit.

A particular filament lamp is rated at 12 V, 6.0 mA. It just lights when the potential difference
across the filament is 6.0 V.

A student sets up an electric circuit to measure the I-V characteristic of the filament lamp.

In the circuit, shown below, the student has connected the voltmeter and the ammeter into the
circuit incorrectly.

The battery has emf 12 V and negligible internal resistance. The ammeter has negligible
resistance and the resistance of the voltmeter is 100 k. The maximum resistance of the
variable resistor is 15.

(a) Explain, without doing any calculations, whether there is a position of the slide S at
which the lamp will be lit.

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(b) Estimate the maximum reading of the ammeter.

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(c) Complete the circuit diagram below showing the correct position of the voltmeter and of
the ammeter in order to determine the I-V characteristic of the filament lamp.

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6. Electrical circuits

Andrew is set the task of measuring the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of a filament lamp.
The following equipment and information are available.

Information
Battery emf = 3.0 V, negligible internal resistance
Filament lamp marked 3 V, 0.2 A
Voltmeter resistance = 30 k, reads values between 0.0 and 3.0 V
Ammeter resistance = 0.1 , reads values between 0.0 and 0.5 A
Potentiometer resistance = 100

(a) For the filament lamp operating at normal brightness, calculate

(i) its resistance;

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(ii) its power dissipation.

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Andrew sets up the following incorrect circuit.

(b) (i) Explain why the lamp will not light.

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(ii) State the approximate reading on the voltmeter. Explain your answer.

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(2)

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(c) On the circuit diagram below, add circuit symbols to show the correct position of the
ammeter and of the voltmeter in order to measure the I-V characteristics of the lamp.

(d) On the axes below draw a sketch graph to show the I-V characteristics for this filament
lamp.

I /A

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 V /V

(e) Explain the shape of the graph that you have drawn in (d).

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The diagram below shows a circuit for varying the potential difference across the lamp.

Y
3.0 V

The potential divider XZ has a potential of 3.0 V across it. When the contact is at the position
Y, the resistance of XY equals the resistance of YZ which equals 12 . The resistance of the
lamp is 4 .

(f) Calculate the potential difference across the lamp.

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7. Electric circuits

(a) The diagram below shows the circuit used to measure the current-voltage (I-V)
characteristic of an electrical component X.

On the diagram above,

(i) label the ammeter A and the voltmeter V.

(1)

(ii) mark the position of the contact of the potentiometer that will produce a reading of
zero on the voltmeter. Label this position P.
(1)

(b) The graph below shows the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of two different
conductors X and Y.

0.50

0.45

0.40

0.35

0.30
I/A Y
0.25 X

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.00
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0 13.0 14.0 15.0
V/V

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 (i) State the value of the current for which the resistance of X is the same as the
resistance of Y and determine the value of this resistance

Current: .....................................................................................................

Resistance: .....................................................................................................
(2)

(ii) Describe and suggest an explanation for the I-V characteristic of conductor Y.

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(3)

(c) The two conductors X and Y are connected in series with a cell of negligible internal
resistance. The current in the conductors is 0.20 A.

Use the graph in (b) to determine

(i) the resistance of Y for this value of current;

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(1)

(ii) the emf of the cell.

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(2)
(Total 10 marks)

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8. This question is about electric circuits.

Susan sets up the circuit below in order to measure the current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of a
small filament lamp.

3.0 V
V

The supply is a battery that has an emf of 3.0 V and the ammeter and voltmeter are considered
to be ideal. The lamp is labelled by the manufacturer as 3 Volts, 0.6 Watts.

(a) (i) Explain what information this labelling provides about the normal operation of the
lamp.

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(2)

(ii) Calculate the current in the filament of the lamp when it is operating at normal
brightness.

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(2)

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Susan sets the variable resistor to its maximum value of resistance. She then closes the switch S
and records the following readings.

Ammeter reading = 0.18 A Voltmeter reading = 0.60 V

She then sets the variable resistor to its zero value of resistance and records the following
readings.

Ammeter reading = 0.20 A Voltmeter reading = 2.6 V

(b) (i) Explain why, by changing the value of the resistance of the variable resistance, the
potential difference across the lamp cannot be reduced to zero or be increased to
3.0 V.

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(2)

(ii) Determine the internal resistance of the battery.

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(3)

(c) Calculate the resistance of the filament when the reading on the voltmeter is

(i) 0.60 V.

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(1)

(ii) 2.6 V.

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(1)

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(d) Explain why there is a difference between your answers to (c)(i) and (c)(ii).

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(2)

(e) Using the axes below, draw a sketch-graph of the I-V characteristic of the filament
of the lamp. (Note: this is a sketch-graph; you do not need to add any values to the
axes.)

0
0 V
(1)

The diagram below shows an alternative circuit for varying the potential difference across the
lamp.

Y
3.0 V

The potential divider XZ has a potential of 3.0 V across it. When the contact is at the position
Y, the resistance of XY equals the resistance of YZ which equals 12 . The resistance of the
lamp is 4 .

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(f) Calculate the potential difference across the lamp.

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(4)
(Total 18 marks)

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