The Calculation of Loss Resistance in Non–Ideal Series RLC Circuit for First–Year Undergraduate Physics Laboratory

The RLC series circuit is one of the topics most often used as a practice in physics laboratory for first–year students. The study is often based on the adjustment of the frequency of the function generator connected in series with a resistor (R), an inductor (L) and a capacitor (C). When resonance occurs, in practice, the voltage across the resistor (VR) is not equal to the voltage difference across the generator. This is due to the loss resistance (Rloss) in a non– ideal series RLC circuit. Therefore, while conducting the experiment, there is often a question, “Why is the potential difference across the resistance not equal to the voltage difference across the generator when the resonance occurs?” Using to Kirchhoff’s law and Ohm’s law, this experiment was designed to 1) calculate the loss resistance using a linear relationship between the difference of voltage across the generator and the voltage across the resistor and the maximum current as well as 2) to determine the phase difference between the voltage across a non–ideal capacitor and the voltage across a non–ideal inductor.