Measuring Voltage and Current Using the Data Studio Voltage and Current Probe Objective: To understand how

to use the voltage and current probe to measure voltage and to measure current in a simple circuit. Introduction: In this experiment you will learn to use the Data Studio voltage and current probes. You will measure battery voltages and current in a simple circuit. You will also construct a simple circuit (battery, wire, and a light bulb) and measure the current through the circuit at different places. Getting Started: Turn on your laptop computers and attach the probe to the USB port. The DataStudios application will pop up and the screen should look like the image below. Current will be measured in Amperes (A) and voltage will be measured in Volts (V).

The Voltmeter: Observe the probes leads. The probes at the front end of the device are for measuring voltage. The maximum range for the device is +10V to -10V. NEVER Attach a higher voltage across the leads. When measuring voltage, the leads are placed on either side of the circuit section that voltage is to be measured across (It is attached in parallel). The Ammeter: Two additional leads have to be attached in order to measure current through a circuit element. The leads have to be placed so the ammeter becomes part of the circuit (in series) in order to measure current. The maximum current through this ammeter should be 1 Amp. Part 1: Measuring Voltage Sources (Battery Voltages) Use your voltage probe to measure different battery voltages. Enter your data into the table below and calculate the percent difference. Battery A (small) B (big) Voltage Measured 1.25 1.42 Labeled Voltage 1.5 1.5 Difference 0.25 0.08 Percent Difference 40% 5%

Part 2: Place two batteries in contact so that the positive terminal of one battery touches the negative terminal of the second battery see picture below) and measure the voltage across the ends. What do you observe?

Answer:

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Part 3: Now place the batteries in opposite direction by placing the positive terminal in contact with the positive terminal of the other battery. Measure the voltage across the two negative terminals. What do you observe? Answer: _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Part 4: Measuring current. Construct a simple circuit by attaching the positive side of the battery to one side of a light bulb. Then attach the other side of the light bulb to the negative side of the battery. If the current is negative, it is just because the leads are backwards, the current will be the same but positive if you switch the leads. What do you observe?

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1. Measure the current between the positive end of the battery and the lightbulb.
_____A

2. Measure the current between the negative end of the battery and the light bulb.
_____A What do you notice about the two currents? _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________