TI-Nspire™ Activities: Physics
March 18, 2008 through March 25, 2008
AC Circuits
| Problem 1 – Manipulation of a basic sine curve | |
| Step 1: Students should open the file PhysWeek08_ACcircuits_EN.tns and read the first five pages. Page 1.6 contains a sine curve representing the voltage in an alternating current with time. Students should vary the values of Vp, w, and θ and observe the effects on the waveform. Then, they should answer questions 1–3. Q1. What characteristic of the curve does the variable Vp control? A. the amplitude (height) of the curve Q2. What characteristic does the variable w control? A. the distance between successive peaks Q3. What characteristic does the variable θ control? A. the phase shift of the curve (the locations of the maxima and minima along the x-axis) |
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| Step 2: Next, students should read the information on pages 1.8 and 1.9. Page 1.10 shows two sine curves. The dotted curve is identical to the curve students manipulated on page 1.6. Students should vary the value of f and observe the effects on the waveform. Then, they should answer questions 4–7. Q4. What characteristic of the curve does the variable f control? A. the frequency of the curve (the distance between successive peaks) Q5. Predict the approximate value of f required to produce a sine curve equivalent to the one produced by a generator with an angular velocity of 375. A. Students should use the relationship w = 2  f to determine the required value of f (approximately 59.7 Hz).Q6. Predict the value of w required to produce a sine curve equivalent to one with a frequency of 45 Hz. A. Students should again use the relationship w = 2  f to determine the required value of w (approximately 283).Q7. Use the graphs on pages 1.6 and 1.10 to test your predictions in questions 5 and 6. Were you correct? If not, explain any errors in your reasoning. A. Students should enter their predicted values of w and f into the appropriate simulations and observe how closely the two curves on page 1.10 match. Encourage students to discuss their results. |
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| Problem 2 – Phase shifts | |
| Step 1: Students should read the information on page 2.1 and then move on to page 2.2, which shows waveforms for two different alternating currents. Each of the waveforms is phase shifted relative to the origin. The variable θ represents the phase shift of the solid curve, and the variable θ2 represents the phase shift of the dotted curve. Students should vary the phase shifts of the two curves and observe the results. Then, they should answer questions 8–10. Q8. Describe the relative positions of the two waves when the phase factors (θ and θ2) differ by 180º. A. When the phase factors are 180º apart, the crest of one curve is exactly aligned with the trough of the other curve. Q9. What positive phase shift is equivalent to a phase shift of –45°? A. 315º Q10. What difference between θ and θ2 is required to produce two curves that would sum to zero? A. 180º; if students struggle with this concept, remind them of the rules for adding waves, and encourage them to experiment with various combinations of θ and θ2. |
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| Step 2: Next, students should read pages 2.5 and 2.6. Then, they should move to page 2.7, which shows two waveforms that are phase shifted relative to each other. Students will use this simulation to calculate the phase shift of the two curves relative to each other. | |
| Step 3: To calculate the relative phase shift, students should first label the coordinates of the three points on page 2.7. They will drag these points along the curves and record their coordinates to calculate the phase shift. To label the coordinates of a point, students should select the Coordinates and Equations tool (Menu > Actions > Coordinates and Equations) and then click once on the point they wish to label. They can then drag the label to wherever they would like on the screen. Encourage them to keep the labels in logical places so that they know which label goes with which point. After they have labeled the coordinates of all three points, students should press d to exit the Coordinates and Equations tool. | 
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| Step 4: After labeling the three points, students should drag one of the points on the thick curve to a peak of that curve. They should then drag the other point on the thick curve to an adjacent peak on the curve. Finally, they should move the point on the thin curve to the peak closest to the second labeled peak on the thick curve, as shown to the right. |
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| Step 5: Next, students should calculate and record the horizontal (x) distance between the two points on the thick curve. They can calculate the distance by subtracting the x-values of the two points. This distance is the period of the waves. (Students should use the absolute value of the difference between the x-values.) Students should use the Text tool (Menu > Actions > Text) to create a text box somewhere on the screen, type the value of the period in the text box, and press •. After exiting the Text tool, they should click once on the value they just entered and press h. They should choose Store Var, type the variable name per, and press •. |
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| Step 6: Next, students should calculate and record the horizontal (x) distance between a peak on the thick curve and the nearest peak on the thin curve. They can calculate this distance by subtracting the x-value of the point on the thin curve from the x-value of the rightmost point on the thick curve. Students should again use the Text tool and the Store Var command to record this value in the variable pdist. |
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Step 7: Next, students should use the equation below to calculate the phase shift between the two curves: They should type this equation into a text box somewhere on the screen. They should then use the Calculate tool (Menu > Actions > Calculate) to determine the value of the equation. To use the Calculate tool, students should click once on the equation they entered. They will be prompted to select the values for pdist and per. They should click on each variable to select it. The value of θrel will then be displayed. Then, students should answer questions 11 and 12. Q11. Write the equation describing the relative phase shift of two sine curves. A. The general equation is shown below:  Q12. What is the relative phase shift of the two curves on page 2.7? A. approximately 45º; if you wish, you may have students use the simulation on page 2.2 to confirm their results. |
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| Problem 3 – Construction of a three-phase waveform | |
| Step 1: In this problem, students use what they have learned about AC waveforms to construct phase-shifted waveforms with specific characteristics. Students should answer questions 13–15. Encourage student discussion and interaction. Q13. A three-phase AC generator produces three signals that are phase shifted by 120° relative to one another. The frequency of the generator is 60 Hz, and the peak voltage is 110 V. Graph the signals from this generator on the next page. A. Students should enter three equations in the function line on the Graphs & Geometry application on page 3.2. Each equation should represent one of the AC signals. They should use the equation relating peak voltage, frequency, and phase shift that they derived in problem 2. If necessary, remind students that the phase shift in this equation is the phase shift of the individual waveform relative to the origin. The first equation they enter should have a phase shift of 0º, the second should have a phase shift of 120º, and the third should have a phase shift of 240º. Remind students that they must convert these angles to radians when they enter them into the equation for v(t). Students will also need to adjust the window settings of the graph in order to see the waveforms clearly. An x-range of –0.02 to 0.02 and a y-range of –170 to 170 will produce a reasonably scaled graph. Q14. Use the equation you derived in question 11 to verify that the three curves you graphed are phase shifted by 120° relative to one another. Show your work. A. Students should use the equation shown below for each pair of waveforms to verify the phase shift:  Students should place two points on each waveform using the Point On tool and then measure the x-distance between successive peaks, as they did in problem 2, steps 4 and 5. When students place the points on the curves, the coordinates of the points will automatically be displayed. Students may find it easier to hide or delete these coordinates and use the Coordinates and Equations tool to label only the coordinates of the points they are working with at each moment. They should obtain values close to 120º for the relative phase shift between each pair of waveforms. Q15. For a three-phase AC generator, what is the relationship between the separations between peak maxima and the period of the generator? A. The separations between the peak maxima are equally spaced and are equal to one-third the period of the generator. |