Circuit Stuff

This week in physics we have been doing a lot of work finding resistances, currents, and voltages in "inception" circuits. These are circuits that have resistors in both series and parallel, which makes finding currents and voltages more difficult to find. We have learned to find resistance, current, and voltage in two ways: with calculations or with a multimeter.
To find pretty much anything in a circuit, the equation V=IR (Ohm's law) can be used, as long as you know two things. For example, if you have a series circuit with one resistor of 2 ohms  and a 1.5 volt battery, then we would know that the current of this system is 3/4 A.
V=IR
1.5=A(2)
A=3/4
This finds the theoretical answer, but to find the real values of V, I, or R, a multimeter is more useful.
Using a multimeter, we can find any of these values using special probes that read voltage, resistance, and current.

Above is a picture of a multimeter and an "inception" circuit, complete with resistors in series and parallel.

Energy Product

For the past few weeks, I have been conducting an experiment IN THE NAME OF SAVING THE EARTH!, and because Mr. Blake said so. The purpose of the experiment is to find ways to consume less energy at home, therefore lowering our monthly energy bill and kWh used. Setting up this experiment was pretty simple, we brainstormed ideas that we think will lower our monthly energy consumption, then we put them into affect. My hypothesis was: “If I take energy saving precautions at home such as taking shorter, colder showers, using electric strips for electric appliances (and turning them off when not in use), and be more mindful of leaving lights and other appliances on in my house when not in use, then I will see a decrease in energy consumption on the monthly bill.”

This being said, I conducted my experiment by taking shorter, colder showers at home, using power strips to charge my appliances, and generally being more mindful of leaving appliances on when not in use.

The picture above is the power strip I have been using and turning off when not in use. The picture to the left is my shower, which I have been using for shorter/colder periods of time.