Day 8 Thevenin's Theorem

Today's lab experimentally investigated Thevenin's Theorem. As a pre-lab, we wanted to determine the Thevenin Equivalent circuit of our given circuit diagram. We then will measure the load voltage in the original circuit, and then measure the voltage of the Thevenin equivalent circuit.

The semi-complex circuit of resistors and voltage supplies is below. Thevenin's theorem will allow us to simplify the circuit with a variable load, R thevenin, and V thevenin.

Our next task was to measure the current that would flow through our thevanin equivalent circuit, or the resistor R_L which we would measure with two different resistors. Theoretically our value was 54 micro-Amps. Experimentally our value was 55 micro-Amps.

Our second value of R_L was 8.1 k Ohms. Again, or theoretical values and experimental values were very close in magnitude.

For the last section of the lab we were required to create a circuit with two potentiometers, one that was fixed. Below is that circuit.

We measured the Voltage as the resistance was varied using the variable potentiometer. Below are those measurements.

Power as a function of load resistance is graphed below.