In this work, we present a qualitative experimental activity having as the object of study the cubic arrangements of resistors, using low-cost and easily accessible material. In the theoretical analysis of electrical circuits, we use a tool that is not widely used in physics textbooks, called the midpoint theorem (MPT), which states that the potential of points in a symmetry line is the arithmetic average of the electrical potentials of the circuit terminals, so that the set of midpoints is a collection of equipotential points. From an experimental point of view, the use of incandescent lamps as resistors has provided an excellent visual indication of how the electric current is being distributed, by qualitative comparison between the brightness of the lamps. Consequently, there is a direct visualization of the existing symmetry, illustrating and bringing to the concrete, in a very playful way, a subject considered by students to be abstract...
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September 2023
September 01 2023
Symmetrical Cubic Arrangements of Resistors: An Experimental Approach
Leonardo Motta;
Leonardo Motta
1
Colégio Brigadeiro Newton Braga, Diretoria de Ensino da Aeronáutica
, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Antonio Carlos Fontes dos Santos
Antonio Carlos Fontes dos Santos
2
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Instituto de Fisica
, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
; toni@if.ufrj.br
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Phys. Teach. 61, 461–466 (2023)
Citation
Leonardo Motta, Antonio Carlos Fontes dos Santos; Symmetrical Cubic Arrangements of Resistors: An Experimental Approach. Phys. Teach. 1 September 2023; 61 (6): 461–466. https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0063764
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