Study of the Frequency Response of a Resonant RLC Circuit Constructed from Locally Available Components

The resonant RLC series circuit is a foundational topic in electronics and electromagnetic theory, demonstrating the interplay between resistive, inductive, and capacitive elements at different signal frequencies. This study investigates the frequency response and resonant behavior of a series RLC circuit constructed from locally procured electronic components available in Nigerian markets, conducted at the Physics Laboratory of Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, North West Nigeria. Components selected include a 100-ohm carbon resistor, a 100 mH inductor wound from enameled copper wire, and a 10 microfarad polypropylene capacitor. A digital function generator and digital oscilloscope were used to sweep the input frequency from 100 Hz to 10,000 Hz while recording output voltage amplitude and phase angle across the capacitor and resistor. Resonant frequency determined experimentally was 503 Hz, compared to the theoretical value of 503.3 Hz calculated from component values, yielding a percentage error of 0.06 percent. Quality factor Q was determined both from the resonance width at half-power points and from the ratio of resonant frequency to bandwidth, yielding consistent values of 3.18. The study demonstrates that high-quality circuit experiments can be reproduced with commercially available Nigerian market components, provided careful component characterization is performed. All results are discussed in relation to circuit theory and practical applications in radio receiver tuning and signal filtering. Keywords: RLC circuit, resonance frequency, quality factor, electronics experiment, Jigawa State