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How is adding a ammeter to a circuit different from adding a light bulb?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
When you add a light bulb, you are adding a load, which performs a function - in this case, it converts electrical energy to light and heat energy. When you add an ammeter, most of the time you intend to measure the current in the circuit, which is the function of the ammeter. Thus the two electrical components differ in their function and does different things when added to a circuit.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
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When the switch is closed it means that?
There is a complete path for the electricity to flow. The opposite of an open circuit. If a light switch is on and the light comes on, the circuit is closed. If the switch is turned off, the light goes off because the circuit is open.
What does green light mean on circuit tester?
it works
What is a seris and a parrel circut?
in a series circuit current flows through each resistor or light bulb and if one item burns out the complete circuit goes dead such were the old fashioned xmas tree lights. They were wire in series and if one light burned out you had to test each light bulb til you found the one burned out to get the whole string to work again. In a parallel circuit each resistor, motor, light bulb has its own ground so if you lost one light in a circuit the rest of them continue to burn.
What happens when you disconnect a light bulb from a series cicuit?
Dear Wiki Questioner, When you disconnect a light bulb from a series circuit, the entire circuit is broken and no electricity can flow around it... so everything else on the circuit looses access to the power source! You can think of a series circuit as a relay race, where the runners are the bulbs and wires (and anything else that is connected to the circuit). If any one of the runners in a relay race is taken out of the race (say by a sprained ankle), the relay gets stuck and the team cannot complete the race (that is to say, the electricity cannot make a complete circuit). Of course, if you plug that runner back into the system, the race continues as usual!
How is sound and light different?
It is different because sound vibrates and light reflects
Where is the best place to put an ammeter in the circuit to measure the current going through the light bulb?
Since (by Kirchoff's current law) the current in a series circuit is the same at every point in the series circuit, it does not matter where you place the ammeter.
What components do you need to make a simple series circuit to light a bulb?
You need a Battery, Light Bulb, Ammeter, Switch.
Why will the current flow be different in a heated rear screen circuit than a side light circuit?
the heated rear screen circuit has a higher resistance compared to the side light circuit
What components do you need to make a simple series circuit to light on bulb?
You need a Battery, Light Bulb, Ammeter, Switch.
Will adding light bulbs to a parallel circuit causes all of the light bukbs to shine less brightly?
No. In a parallel circuit, the resistance gets cut in half, so logically the bulbs would do the opposite and get brighter.
In a series circuit when adding light bulbs does the current change?
Yes. The current is inversely proportional to the resistance. I = V / R where I is current, V is voltage, and R is resistance. Adding light bulbs adds resistance. Current is constant throughout a series circuit; it doesn't change no matter what. Voltage changes.
If you have three light bulbs on a circuit but all the bulbs have a different electrical path what kind of circuit do you have?
Parallel.
What would be different about the circuit if a resistor were added in series with the light bulbs?
The total current in the circuit will decrease.
Why is an ammeter also called a tell tale?
There are some applications where using an ammeter is the only way to troubleshoot a problem without tearing apart the entire circuit. It is the only meter setting on the DMM used while the circuit is energized. After calculating the amperage that should flow through the circuit by measuring ohms and volts, an ammeter directly shows any "tell tale" discrepancies between calculated amps and actual amps. Example: In theatre lighting, a volt meter reads 110V on a power circuit, and an ohmmeter reads close to 0 when measuring across a lamp's power connector leads; yet, when connected, the lamp won't light and the breaker doesn't trip. In theory, 110V across a lamp reading 0 ohms should light the lamp. A quick bit of minor surgury and a measure with the ammeter "tells the tale" that very little current is flowing; therefore, one of the digital dimmer packs has probably gone bad -- it will provide a phantom power of 110V with little current. Without the ammeter, one would have to waste time troubleshooting the dimmer itself.
What will happen if the voltmeter was inserted in place of an ammeter?
You would load the circuit, and it is likely it would not operate correctly. A volt meter is designed to have a very high resistance between the two probes; an ammeter is designed to have a very low resistance. For instance, say you have a 120 watt light bulb that runs on 120 volts (you would then draw ~1 amp of current). If you tried to measure this with a meter that has .1 ohm resistance on ammeter setting, and 1,000,000 ohms on volt meter: Error due to loading: ammeter: .1 / (120 + .1) = .08%; Current will be .999Amps, power to the light bulb will be 119.9 watts Volt meter: 1,000,000/ (120 + 1,000,000) = 99.9%; current will be 120micro Amps, power to the light bulb will be 14.4 milliwatts (the light bulb will not appear to be on).
How do you know when electric current is flowing in a light bulb circuit?
You know if current is flowing in a bulb circuit because, if there is enough power (voltage times current), the bulb will illuminate. If there is current, but not enough power to illuminate the bulb, you will need to measure the current with an ammeter to see if there is any current.
What would be different if only one light bulb were wired in this circuit instead of two?
I you wired a light bulb in to the same circuit you have the possibility of over loading the circuit but other than that it would just be brighter.
