Confused about Equiv. Resistance for this Circuit

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around finding the equivalent resistance (R equivalent) of a specific electrical circuit, including the application of Thevenin's theorem. Participants explore different approaches to combining resistances and clarify steps involved in the calculations.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes their process of calculating the equivalent resistance, noting a mistake in their approach to combining resistors in parallel and series.
  • Another participant questions the initial step of combining the 10-ohm and 50-ohm resistors in parallel, suggesting it may not be the correct approach.
  • A participant suggests writing out the entire problem to clarify the context, mentioning the goal of finding the Thevenin equivalent voltage (V-thevenin) at the 50-ohm resistor.
  • Another reply provides guidance on how to find the Thevenin voltage and resistance, emphasizing the need to remove the 50-ohm resistor and turn off the voltage source.
  • One participant asserts that the 20-ohm and 40-ohm resistors should be combined in series due to sharing the same current, implying a straightforward approach to the problem.
  • A later reply presents a specific calculation for the equivalent resistance, stating the final answer and detailing steps to find the Thevenin resistance, including the combination of resistors in series and parallel.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the correct method for combining resistors, with no consensus reached on the initial steps taken by the first participant. Multiple approaches to the problem are presented, indicating ongoing uncertainty and debate.

Contextual Notes

Some participants highlight potential misunderstandings in the initial calculations, but the discussion does not resolve these issues, leaving the reasoning behind the resistor combinations and the application of Thevenin's theorem open to interpretation.

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Homework Statement


(this wasn't the original problem, but a part of it, but I got this part wrong)
Find the R equivalent of the circuithttp://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2191/circuitam6.jpg

Homework Equations


(parallel) 1/Req = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3 + ...
(series) Req = R1 + R2 + R3 + ...

The Attempt at a Solution


My teacher gave back the paper, and I got it wrong, but I still don't understand why mine is wrong and his is the right way to do it.

1. I took the 10-ohm and 50-ohm in parallel, and got 8.33-ohm as equivalent.
2. (this is where the mistake occurred) I took the 20 ohm and 40ohm in series, so it'll be 60-ohm equivalent.
3. Then I took the 60-ohm and 8.33-ohm and put them in parallel, but that's wrong, but I don't understand why that's wrong. How would I know that I would have to put the 20ohm and 8.33 ohm in series, then parallel with the 40ohm INSTEAD of doing the way I did it?

Please help, thanks
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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It seems from the diagram you gave that your first mistake was in step 1. Why did you take the 10 and 50 ohm resisters in parallel?
 
Maybe I should write out the whole problem, I was trying to find the R-thevenin. So I took out the voltage source.

The problem was to find the V-thevenin with terminals at the 50-ohm resistor
 
in finding v thevanin, break the circuit at the point at which you want the voltage. in this case you would want to remove the 50 ohm resistor and find the voltage across that break.

also in finding r-thevanin, you would remove the 50 ohm resistor, turn off the voltage source, and combine the resistors using the revalent equations you posted. then put them into the circuit that includes the v-thev and r-thev.
 
The 20 ohms and the 40 ohms resistances share the same current, therefore you should combine them in series. Then go from there, shouldn't be hard.
 
Last edited:
R-eqv = 10+ (50||(20+40)) ohm
very simple.
ans: 37.27 ohm (check it)

now if u want to find out the R-thv at 50 ohm resistor,
step-1: short the volt source(88 v)
step-2: uproot the 50 ohm resistor from the ckt.
step-3: then look throgh the ckt from the uprooted resistor, can u feel that (20 n 40 ohm in series) which is parallel to 10 ohm?
so R-thv= 10 || (20+40) =8.57 ohm .. ans
 
Last edited:

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