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AP Physics C: E&M
11.7 Kirchhoff’s Junction Rule
11.5 Compound Direct Current Circuits
11.2 Simple Circuits
IntermediateMCQMathematicalConceptual19.8k
Circuit schematic with a non-ideal ammeter and voltmeter connected to measure resistor \(R\).
Circuit schematic with a non-ideal ammeter and voltmeter connected to measure resistor \(R\).
A student designs a circuit to determine the resistance \(R\) of an unknown resistor. As shown in the diagram, a non-ideal voltmeter with finite internal resistance \(R_V\) is connected in parallel across the resistor, and a non-ideal ammeter with nonzero internal resistance \(R_A\) is connected in series with the parallel combination. The ammeter records a current \(I_{\text{meas}}\) and the voltmeter records a potential difference \(V_{\text{meas}}\), from which the experimental resistance is calculated as \(R_{\text{exp}} = \dfrac{V_{\text{meas}}}{I_{\text{meas}}}\). How does the measured current \(I_{\text{meas}}\) compare to the actual current \(I_R\) passing through the resistor during the measurement, and how does the calculated resistance \(R_{\text{exp}}\) compare to the true resistance \(R\)?

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