Kirchoff’s Rules—Inquiry Lab Kit for AP® Physics 2

Product Details

AP Physics 2 Big Ideas 4 & 5, Investigation 8

Capacitors are essential for general power management in electronic circuits like charging units. They collect charge when connected to a battery and release the charge when the battery is removed. This prevents loss of current in the circuit. Capacitors can also limit current by collecting charge and building a voltage.

The purpose of this advanced-inquiry lab activity is to apply Kirchoff’s rules to resistor–capacitor (RC) circuits and study the effect the arrangement of circuit components has on current and changes in potential. First, students practice the laboratory technique of using a multimeter to measure the current and potential difference across resistors in series and parallel circuits. Ohm’s law is used to confirm the resistance values printed on the resistors. The procedure provides a model for the guided-inquiry design of experiments to determine the effect of placing capacitors in series and in parallel. As an optional extension, the RC time constant for various arrangements may be predicted and assessed for accuracy.

Complete for 24 students working groups of three. Multimeters and batteries are required and available separately.