Voltage Divider with Moderate-Valued Resistors

1. Obtain two 1 k resistors from the parts bin. Designate one of the resistors as and the other as .
2. Measure the resistor values using the multimeter as an ohmmeter. Be sure to keep track of which resistor corresponds to which value measured!
3. Build the circuit in Figure using the 1 k resistors for and .
4. Set the power supply to 5V. Use the voltmeter, not the front panel display of the power supply to ensure the proper setting. Important Note: You built the circuit before you set the power supply voltage to 5V. If the current limiter is set to a value lower than than the current demanded by the circuit, the constant current (cc) indicator will light up and the voltage control knob will no longer adjust the output voltage. If this happens, simply increase the current limiter until you are able to achieve 5V in the constant voltage (cv) mode.
5. Using the voltmeter, measure the voltage across resistor , and then across resistor . Record these values, as always, and verify Kirchhoff's Voltage Law KVL.
6. Comment on the accuracy of measurements made considering the internal resistance of the voltmeter.
7. Create a table presenting theoretical and measured voltages along with percent error. Consider whether your theoretical values for the voltages across and should include the effect of . Important Note: When you are calculating percent error, you should avoid cases in which the theoretical value is zero since the percent error is meaningless. To calculate percent error between theoretical and experimental verification of KVL, use the source voltage as the reference. For example, in the measurements made in this section, the theoretical value (and measured value!) for the voltage across the supply is 5V. The measured value is the same as the theoretical value because you used the voltmeter to set the power supply voltage to 5V. To obtain the KVL measured voltage, add the voltage across to the voltage across . Compare with 5V.