Question

"A circuit consists of a series combination of 6.00-k and

5.00-k resistors connected across a 50.0-V battery having negli-
gible internal resistance. You want to measure the true potential
difference (that is, the potential difference without the meter pres-
ent) across the 5.00-k resistor using a voltmeter having an inter-
nal resistance of 10.0 k.
(a) What potential difference does the
voltmeter measure across the 5.00-k resistor?
(b) What is the"

Answer 1

To measure the potential difference across the 5.00-k resistor using the 10.0 k voltmeter, we need to consider the internal resistance of the voltmeter. The potential difference measured by the voltmeter can be calculated using the voltage divider equation. The resistance of the combination is equal to the resistance of the 5.00-k resistor plus the internal resistance of the voltmeter.

Step-by-step explanation:

To measure the true potential difference across the 5.00-k resistor using the voltmeter, we need to consider the internal resistance of the voltmeter. In this case, the voltmeter has an internal resistance of 10.0 k. When a voltmeter is connected in parallel with a resistor, it measures the potential difference across the combination of the resistor and the internal resistance of the battery.

(a) The potential difference measured by the voltmeter across the 5.00-k resistor would be less than the actual potential difference across the resistor due to the voltage drop across the internal resistance of the voltmeter. To calculate the potential difference measured by the voltmeter, we can use the voltage divider equation:

Vmeter = Vbattery * (Rmeter / (Rmeter + Rresistor))

where Vmeter is the potential difference measured by the voltmeter, Vbattery is the voltage of the battery, Rmeter is the internal resistance of the voltmeter, and Rresistor is the resistance of the 5.00-k resistor.

(b) To find the resistance of the combination, we can use the equation:

Rcombination = Rresistor + Rmeter