Resistors in Series and Parallels Lab

1. Evaluate the differences between theoretical and experimental values.

Theoretical values are the values calculated before that you could possibly get and the experimental values come from the data you gather from the experiment. With our experiment, there seemed to be a difference between the theoretical and experimental values for some of the circuits we made.

2. Make some general statements of what you learned about circuits in series, in parallel, series-parallel, and parallel-series networks.

Series circuits are very simple to make because you only have to create one path for the current. Parallel circuits are more complex because, with them, you create more than one path for the current to move through. When the circuits included both parallel and series, they would sometimes get confusing and hard to build. 

3.Discuss other sources of error such as the effect of adding a voltmeter and ammeter in a circuit and not including internal resistance in the battery in your calculations.

The voltmeter was very simple to use, so there were no drastic errors in the voltage calculations of the circuit. The ammeter, however, could have been a source of error because sometimes we had a bit of trouble finding out the exact places to put it. Also, if you connect the positive and negative wires into the wrong areas, you would get an incorrect reading and you would have to switch them. Also, not having the wires connected correctly would be a source of error. If you don't include the internal resistance in the battery, the theoretical and experimental values are more similar.