Final answer:
The zener voltage regulator circuit consists of a zener diode, load resistor, series resistor, and power supply. The minimum and maximum current in the zener diode can be calculated using Ohm's law. The maximum current is 0.009 A and the minimum current is 0.0049 A.
Step-by-step explanation:
To construct the zener voltage regulator circuit, you will need a zener diode, a load resistor, a series resistor, and a variable power supply. Connect the anode of the zener diode to the positive terminal of the power supply and connect the cathode to both the load resistor and the series resistor. Connect the other end of the load resistor to the negative terminal of the power supply. Finally, connect the other end of the series resistor to the cathode of the zener diode. This completes the circuit.
To find the minimum and maximum current in the zener diode, we need to consider the minimum and maximum load resistances. The maximum current occurs when the load resistance is the lowest, which is 500Ω in this case. Using Ohm's law (V = IR), we can calculate the maximum current as Imax = (V_s - V_z) / (R_i + R_l_max), where V_s is the supply voltage, V_z is the zener voltage, R_i is the internal resistance, and R_l_max is the maximum load resistance. Substituting the given values, the maximum current is Imax = (15 - 9.6) / (100 + 500) = 5.4 / 600 = 0.009 A.
The minimum current occurs when the load resistance is the highest, which is 1kΩ in this case. Using the same formula, we can calculate the minimum current as Imin = (V_s - V_z) / (R_i + R_l_min), where R_l_min is the minimum load resistance. Substituting the given values, the minimum current is Imin = (15 - 9.6) / (100 + 1000) = 5.4 / 1100 = 0.0049 A.