Experiment

ALTERNATING CURRENT CIRCUITS

Experiment 1
ALTERNATING CURRENT CIRCUITS

I.

OBJECTIVES

1. To compare DC and AC voltages and currents.

2. To study the voltages and currents in an AC circuit.

II.

DISCUSSION:
When voltages and currents vary, especially at fast rates, circuits and components
behave much differently than with steady currents. For example, a short length wire
carrying a steady current has a resistance much less than one ohm, yet if the same current
were to fluctuate several million times per second, the opposition to the current through
the wire could build up into hundreds of ohms.
If the current varies in magnitude but never reverses in direction of flow through a
circuit, it is called a pulsating direct-current. This term also applies to a voltage.
Whenever a current changes direction as well as magnitude, it is called alternating
current. Also when the voltage changes polarity, it is called alternating voltage.
The waveform of alternating currents may have different shapes and may be
periodic or aperiodic. Periodic alternations are those which occur at a regular rate.
Aperiodic alternations occur at a random rate. One type of alternating current wave
frequently encountered in electrical engineering is the sine or sinusoidal wave. This is
shown in Figure 10.1. Note that this wave is periodic and has variation. It is possible to
prove that all waves, regardless of shape are composed of many sine waves put together.
The period (T) of a wave specifies the time required to complete one cycle. After
one cycle, the voltage or the current has taken all possible values defined by the type of
wave involved and thus, it also signal the start of a new wave. The number of cycles
completed in one second is called frequency (f) of the wave. Waves with large periods
have small frequencies, waves with small periods have high frequencies. The relation
between frequency and period is expressed mathematically by: (f) 1/T.
The term amplitude is used to denote the magnitude of current or voltage change
in a cycle or wave. On a graph, amplitude is represented by the height or distance from

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the x-axis to a point on the wave. Amplitude for sine waves can be expressed in several
ways:
1. Peak amplitude This is the magnitude of the variation measured from the
horizontal axis of the wave to its highest peak. The sine wave of Figure 10.1 has a
peak voltage of 10V or 10 Vpp.

2. Peak-to-peak amplitude The magnitude measured from the lowest negative peak
to the highest positive peak is the peak-to-peak amplitude. The sine wave of
Figure 10.1 has a peak-to-peak voltage of 20V or 20Vpp.

3. Average amplitude The average amplitude of a symmetrical periodic wave

obtained by averaging all instantaneous values occurring during half an
alternation. For a sine wave, it is 0.637 of the peak value. A DArsonval type
meter designed for DC will not indicate voltage or current peaks in an AC wave.
If the pointer starts to move up scale on the positive alternation, it is immediately
pulled back by the negative alternation. Consequently, the pointer does not go
anywhere.
4. Root-mean-square (rms) or effective amplitude If each instantaneous value were
squared before averaging, the minus sign from the negative alternations would
disappear. The squares of the instantaneous values could then be added and the
square root of the sum taken. The average obtained in this manner is called the
root-mean-square value and is always positive. For a sine wave, the root-meansquare value is 0.707 of the peak value.

The rms value is also called the effective value when a load is being supplied by a
sinusoidal source, the power absorbed by the load is proportional to the square of the rms value
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ALTERNATING CURRENT CIRCUITS

of the voltage or current. In other words, if a load is supplied by a sine wave of 10 V p, the load
would receive just as much power as if a 7.07V DC source in comparing sine wave output to
battery or DC output, most meters are calibrated to read rms values.
Commercial power today is distributed as alternating current with a frequency of 60Hz
(cycles per second). An advantage of using alternating-current is that its E/I ratio can be changed
with transformers, whereas with direct-current, this is not possible. In addition, AC machines
may be built in larger sizes and cost of transmitting power is lower.

III.

INSTRUMENTS AND COMPONENTS:

AC Voltmeter
AC Ammeter
Lamp, 12V, 25W

IV.

V.

3F Capacitor
1H Inductor
Connecting Wires

PROCEDURE:
1. Connect the 25W lamps across 12V AC and 12V DC. Which lamp is brighter?
2. Connect the circuit shown in Figure 10.2. The source is 220V AC. Measure and
record the voltages across the lamp and the capacitor. Measure and record current.
3. Change the source in step2 to 220V DC. Compare the brightness of the lamp in
step 2 and 3.
4. Connect the circuit shown in Fogure10.3. Measure and record the voltages across
the lamp and the inductor. Measure and record the current.
5. Connect the circuit shown in Figure 10.4 Measure and record the current.
6. Using a VOM, measure and record the resistance of the inductor and the
capacitor.

CIRCUIT DIAGRAMS:

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VI.

ALTERNATING CURRENT CIRCUITS

DATA AND RESULTS:

Step 1:

Step 2: E (lamp) = __________, E (capacitor) = ____________, I= ________________

Step 3:

Step 4: E (lamp) = __________, E (capacitor) = ____________, I= ________________

Step 5: E (75 W lamp) = __________, E (50 W lamp) = ____________, I= __________

Step 6: r (inductor) = __________, R (capacitor) = ____________

VII.

PROBLEMS:

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1. Describe the difference between the currents that exist in the wires leading to a capacitor
when these wires are connected to (a) a DC source and (b) an AC source.

2. Explain why the resistance of a capacitor is infinite when measured with an ohmmeter.

3. A resistor and a capacitor are connected in parallel across a 120V DC source. Determine
the voltages across the resistor and the capacitor.

4. A 60 Hz AC circuit has a voltage of 120V and a current of 6A (effective value). What are
the peek and the peak-to-peak values of this voltage and current.

5. A capacitor is frequently placed across a 110V line to reduce the noise in radios. What is
the smallest voltage such a capacitor should have?

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VIII.

CONCLUSION:

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ALTERNATING CURRENT CIRCUITS