A transducer is an electronic device that measures physical parameters such as mechanical strain, pressure, optical density, and/or temperature. If temperature is being measured, an instrument called a thermistor acts as a variable resistor at the R1 location of a Wheatstone bridge. At a known neutral temperature, a zero reference voltage ( Vout ) valueContinue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: The Unbalanced Wheatstone Bridge and Sensor Technology“
Tag Archives: Resistors in Parallel
INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: The Balanced Wheatstone Bridge
The voltage ( V ) drops across parallel-circuit resistors ( R ) are equal in magnitude; conversely, the currents ( I ) traveling through parallel branches may or may not be the same. For this reason, parallel circuits are sometimes referred to as being current dividers. Take the following diagram into consideration: Since the R1Continue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: The Balanced Wheatstone Bridge“
INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Bleeder Current in Multi-Tap Voltage-Divider Circuits
Adding a tap to a series circuit alters the untapped voltage ( V ) output across the resistor ( R ) downstream of it. We will now expand our studies to be inclusive of multi-tap voltage-divider circuits. The objective is to determine the magnitude of the bleeder current ( I3 ) flowing through the lowermostContinue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Bleeder Current in Multi-Tap Voltage-Divider Circuits“
INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Voltage Dividers With Resistive Loads ( Part 2 )
In a previous exercise, we saw how the addition of a stiff voltage divider to a two-resistor series circuit lowers the voltage ( V ) drop across the lattermost resistor. We are now ready to examine this phenomena with a circuit that contains unequal resistor values: Q: a. What is the unloaded output voltage? b.Continue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Voltage Dividers With Resistive Loads ( Part 2 )“
INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Voltage Dividers With Resistive Loads ( Part 1 )
A series circuit that contains two equal-value resistors ( R ) will split the amount of work ( J ) done by the charges equally: Prior to arrival at R1, a coulomb of charged particles ( I ) will contain 10.0 J of energy available to perform work. After passing through R1, the charges willContinue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Voltage Dividers With Resistive Loads ( Part 1 )“
INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Series-Parallel Circuit Branch Identification
Due to the complexity of some series-parallel circuits, it takes time to appropriately identify circuit branches that negate the larger circuit being classified as purely series or parallel. There is no substitute for practice! Prior to using the appropriate mathematics and equations to solve series-parallel circuit problems, visual engagement with a wide variety of circuitContinue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Series-Parallel Circuit Branch Identification“
INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Power in Parallel Circuits
Power is the rate at which energy is deposited within ( or liberated from ) some medium. As pertains to electronics, the watt is a measure of how many joules ( J ) of energy are deposited per second within the resistive elements of a circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt (Continue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Power in Parallel Circuits“
INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Parallel Circuits
In the study of parallel resistor ( Rx ) circuits, where “ x “ is the number of a particular resistor ( x = 1, 2, 3, … n ), a common point of confusion regards how the total resistance ( Rt ) of the circuit is always less than the lowest calculated resistor value.Continue reading “INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONICS: Parallel Circuits“
FINDING THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR ( LCD ) OF FRACTIONS AND DETERMINING THE TOTAL RESISTANCE ( Rt ) OF PARALLEL ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS:
FINDING THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR: Let’s first envision putting two half pieces of a pie together to get a full pie. Numerically, this would involve adding ( 1/2 ) + ( 1/2 ) = ( [ 1 + 1 ] / 2 ) = ( 2/2 ) = 1 whole pie. This example was madeContinue reading “FINDING THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR ( LCD ) OF FRACTIONS AND DETERMINING THE TOTAL RESISTANCE ( Rt ) OF PARALLEL ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS:”
ELECTRICITY: Series and Parallel Electrical Circuits
Note: The problem is much easier when one is familiar with what a series vs. parallel circuit looks like. Fortunately, plenty of examples can be found on the internet. Q: Two resistors are submitted to a 12 V potential. When linked together, the current is of 1.33 A. When in parallel, the current is 5.4Continue reading “ELECTRICITY: Series and Parallel Electrical Circuits”
RENAISSANCE PHYSICS 