5 Parallel Circuits

Module 5–Parallel Circuits

Learning After finishing this module, you are expected to:
Objectives
1. Calculate unknown voltage, current and resistance in
parallel network.
2. Understand the characteristics of parallel network.
3. Calculate the total resistance, branch current and
power across each resistor in parallel network.

Topics 1.1. Overview

1.2. Parallel Elements
1.3. Total Conductance and Resistance
1.4. Illustrative Examples

Introductory Circuit Analysis, 10th Edition, Boylestad

Electrical Circuits Theory and Technology, 3rd Edition, John Bird 2007
Fundamentals of Electric Circuits, Third Edition, Charles A. Alexander & Matthew N.O. Sadiku

Warm Up:
Give three things that you expect you will learn in this module.
1. _________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________
_____________

Pre-Test: From the circuit shown calculate the following.

1. Total Resistance
2. Total conductance

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1.0 Overview

A Parallel circuit has certain characteristics and basic rules:

A parallel circuit has two or more paths for current to flow through. Voltage
is the same across each component of the parallel circuit. The sum of the
currents through each path is equal to the total current that flows from the
source. (www.swtc.edu)

1.0. Parallel Elements

Two elements, branches, or networks are in parallel if they have two

points in common.

Figure 3.1: Parallel elements

In Figure 3.2, all the elements are in parallel because they satisfy
the above criterion. Three configurations are provided to demonstrate how
the parallel networks can be drawn.

Figure 3.2: Different ways in which three parallel elements may appear.

1.3. Total Conductance and Resistance

Recall that for series resistors, the total resistance is the sum of the
resistor values.

For parallel elements, the total conductance is the sum of the

individual conductance.

That is, for the parallel network of Figure 3.3, we write:

𝐺 =𝐺 +𝐺 +𝐺 +⋯ 𝐺 (2.14)

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Since increasing levels of conductance will establish higher current
levels, the more terms appearing in Eq. (2.14), the higher the input current
level. In other words, as the number of resistors in parallel increases, the
input current level will increase for the same applied voltage-the opposite
effect of increasing the number of resistors in series.

Figure 3.3: Determining the total resistance of parallel resistors

For two parallel resistors, the total resistance is

1 1 1
= + → (2.15)
𝑅 𝑅 𝑅

𝑅 𝑥𝑅
𝑅 = → (2.16)
𝑅 𝑥𝑅 + 𝑅 𝑥𝑅

1
𝑅 = → (2.17)
= +

In other words,
The total resistance of two parallel resistors is the product of the two
resistors divided by their sum.

For three parallel resistors, the total resistance is

1 1 1 1
= + + → (2.18)
𝑅 𝑅 𝑅 𝑅

Equation (2.18) can also be expanded into the form of Eq. (2.16),
resulting in Eq. (2.19):

𝑅 𝑥𝑅 𝑥𝑅
𝑅 = → (2.19)
𝑅 𝑥𝑅 + 𝑅 𝑥𝑅 +𝑅 𝑥𝑅

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1
𝑅 = → (2.20)
= + +

Note:
The total resistance of parallel resistors is always less than the value of the
smallest resistor.

1.5. Illustrative Examples:

Examples 3.1: Determine the total resistance of Figure 3.4.

Figure 3.4 of example 3.1

Solution: applying eq. (2.18 to 2.20)

Using eq. (2.18)

1 1 1 1
= + +
𝑅 6 12 18

𝑅 = 3.2727 𝑜ℎ𝑚𝑠

Using eq. (2.19)

6 𝑥12 𝑥 18 1,296
𝑅 = = = 3.2727 𝑜ℎ𝑚𝑠
6 𝑥 12 + 6 𝑥 18 + 12 𝑥 18 396

Using eq. (2.20)

1 1 1
𝑅 = = = = 3.2727 𝑜ℎ𝑚𝑠
+ + 0.166 + 0.0833 + 0.0556 0.3049

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Examples 3.2.: Determine the values of R1, R2, and R3 in Figure 3.5 if R2
= 2R1 and R3 = 3R1 and the total resistance is 12 kΩ.

Figure 3.5 of example 3.2

Solution: applying eq. (2.18)

1 1 1 1
= + +
𝑅 𝑅 𝑅 𝑅

Since R2 = 2R1 and R3 = 3R1

1 1 1 1
= + +
12𝑘 𝑅 2𝑅 3𝑅

1 1 1 1 1 1
= + ( )+ ( )
12𝑘 𝑅 2 𝑅 3 𝑅

1 6+3+2 1
= ( )
12𝑘 6 𝑅

1 11 1
= ( )
12𝑘 6 𝑅

1 1
= 1.833( )
12𝑘 𝑅

Solving for R1:

𝑅 = 22 𝑘Ω
Solve for R2:

𝑅 = 2𝑅 = (2)(22) = 44 𝑘Ω

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Solve for R3:

𝑅 = 3𝑅 = (3)(22) = 66 𝑘Ω

Example 3.3: Determine the total resistance of Figure 3.6 by applying eq.
2.14

Figure 24 of example 3.3

Solution: apply eq. 2.14

𝐺 =𝐺 +𝐺 +𝐺
Since:
𝐺 = ;𝐺 = ;𝐺 = and 𝐺 =

1 1 1
𝐺 = + + = 0.333 + 0.111 + 0.0833 = 0.527 𝑆
3 9 12

Since,
1
𝐺 =
𝑅

1 1
𝑅 = = = 1.896 𝑜ℎ𝑚𝑠
𝐺 0.5273

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WORKSHEET No. 6

Name: ___________________________ Course/Year: ___________________

Instructor: ________________________ Rating: ________________________

PROBLEMS:
Instruction: Solve the following problems and write the solution on the space
provided.

1. Determine the total resistance of the network shown of Figure 3.7.

Figure 3.7

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2. Determine the total resistance of Figure 3.8 if R2 = 2R1 and R3 = 2R2

Figurer 26

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3. Determine the total resistance of Figure 3.9.

Figure 3.9

4. Determine the value of R2 of Figure 3.10 if RT equal 12 ohms and R1 equal

18 ohms

Figure 3.10

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5. Determine the value of R of Figure 3.11 if RT equal 3 ohms.

Figure 3.11

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Voltage in Parallel Circuits:

In parallel circuits, the voltage across parallel elements is the same.

Figure 3.12

Parallel Network
Using this fact will result in

𝑉 =𝑉 =𝐸 (2.21)

𝐼 = = (2.22)

𝐼 = = (2.23)

If we multiply both sides by the applied voltage resulting to:

𝐸 =𝐸 + 𝐸( )

= + (2.25)

Applying Ohm’s Law to eq (2.25) the source current is:

𝐼 =𝐼 +𝐼 (2.24)

Note:
For single-source parallel networks, the source current (Is ) is equal to the
sum of the individual branch currents.

The power dissipated by the resistors and delivered by the source can be
determined from

𝑃 =𝐼 𝑉 =𝐼 𝑅 = (2.25)

𝑃 =𝐼 𝑉 =𝐼 𝑅 = (2.26)

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𝑃 =𝐼 𝑉 =𝐼 𝑅 = (2.27)

Example 3.4 For the parallel network of Fig. 3.13:

a. Calculate RT.
b. Determine Is.
c. Calculate I1 and I2, and demonstrate that Is =I1 + I2.
d. Determine the power to each resistive load.
e. Determine the power delivered by the source, and compare it to
the
total power dissipated by the resistive elements.

Figure 3.13 of example 3.4

Solution:

( )( )
a. 𝑅 = = = = 7.2 𝑜ℎ𝑚𝑠

b. 𝐼 = = = 8.333 𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑠.
.

c. 𝐼 = = = 5 𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑠.
.
𝐸 60
𝐼 = = = 3.333 𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑠.
𝑅 18

𝐼 =𝐼 +𝐼

8.333 = 5 + 3.333

8.333 = 8.333 (𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘)

d. 𝑃 = 𝐼 𝑉 = (5𝐴)(60𝑉) = 300 𝑊
𝑃 = 𝐼 𝑉 = (3.333𝐴)(60𝑉 ) = 199.98 𝑊
e. 𝑃 = 𝐸𝐼 = (60𝑉 )(8.333𝐴) = 499.98 𝑊

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Example 3.5:From the circuit shown of Figure 3.14, determine

a. E
b. I1, I3 and I
c. R

Figure 3.14 of example 3.5

Solution:

a. 𝐸 = 𝐼 𝑅 = (2𝐴)(8 𝑜ℎ𝑚𝑠) = 16𝑉

b. 𝐼 = = = = 4 𝐴𝑚𝑝𝑠.

𝑃 𝑃 16
𝐼 = = = = 1 𝐴𝑚𝑝.
𝑉 𝐸 16

𝐼 = 𝐼 + 𝐼 + 𝐼 = 2 + 4 + 1 = 7 𝐴𝑚𝑝𝑠.

c. 𝑅 = = = = 16 𝑜ℎ𝑚𝑠.

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WORKSHEET No. 7

Name: _______________________________ Course/Year: ________________

Instructor: _____________________________ Rating: _____________________

PROBLEMS:
Instruction: Solve the following problems and write the solution on the space
provided.

1. From the network of Figure 3.15

a. Find the total resistance and conductance
b. I`1, I2, I3 and IS
c. P1, P2 and P3
d. PS

Figure 3.15 of problem 1

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2. From the network of Figure 3.16, determine

a. R
b. I1, I2, and I3, I
c. R

Figure 3.16 of problem 2

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3. From the network of Figure 3.17, determine

a. The value of I1, I2 and I3 if the power consume by R1 is 5 watts and R2 =
R3.
b. R2 and R3

Figure 3.17 of problem 3

.

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4. For the circuit shown in Figure 3.18, find (a) the value of the supply voltage
V and (b) the value of current I.

Figure 3.18 of problem 4

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5. For the circuit shown in Figure 3.19 determine (a) the reading on the ammeter,
and (b) the value of resistor R.

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