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Chapter # 5 - Series Circuits

This lecture covers the principles of resistors in series, including total series resistance, current behavior, and applications of Ohm's Law. It explains how resistors add together to increase total resistance and provides formulas for calculating total resistance in series circuits. Additionally, it discusses the behavior of voltage sources in series and the importance of polarity when combining them.

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minahil khan
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11 views35 pages

Chapter # 5 - Series Circuits

This lecture covers the principles of resistors in series, including total series resistance, current behavior, and applications of Ohm's Law. It explains how resistors add together to increase total resistance and provides formulas for calculating total resistance in series circuits. Additionally, it discusses the behavior of voltage sources in series and the importance of polarity when combining them.

Uploaded by

minahil khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LECTURE # 5

 Resistors in Series
 Total Series Resistance
 Current in a Series Circuit
 Application of Ohm’s Law
 Voltage Sources in Series
 The schematic in Figure 1(a) shows two resistors Part (b) shows
three resistors and part (c) shows four connected in series between
point A and point B. Of course, there can be any number of resistors
in a series circuit.
 A series circuit provides only one path for current between two
points so that the current is the same through each series resistor.
Series Resistor Values Add

 When resistors are connected in series, the resistor values add


because each resistor offers opposition to the current in direct
proportion to its resistance.

 A greater number of resistors connected in series creates more


opposition to current. More opposition to current implies a higher
value of resistance.

 Thus, every time a resistor is added in series, the total resistance


increases.
Series Resistance Formula
 For any number of individual resistors connected in series, the total
resistance is the sum of each of the individual values.

 where RT is the total resistance and Rn is the last resistor in the


series string.
 For example, if there are four resistors in series the total resistance
formula is,

 If there are six resistors in series the total resistance formula is,
Series Resistance Formula

 To illustrate the calculation of total series resistance, let’s determine


RT in the circuit of Figure 8, where Vs is the source voltage. The
circuit has five resistors in series. To get the total resistance, simply
add the values.

 You can physically change the positions of the resistors in the circuit
without affecting the total resistance or the current.
Equal-Value Series Resistors
 When a circuit has more than one resistor of the same value in
series, to obtain the total resistance: Simply multiply the resistance
value by the number of equal-value resistors that are in series.
 For example, five 100Ω resistors in series have an RT of 5(100Ω) =
500Ω.
 In general, the formula is expressed as
RT = nR
 where n is the number of equal-value resistors and R is the
resistance value.
 Figure 13 shows three resistors connected in series to a dc voltage
source. At any point in this circuit, the current into that point must equal
the current out of that point, as illustrated by the current directional
arrows.

 Notice also that the current out of each resistor must equal the current
into each resistor because there is no place where part of the current
can branch off and go somewhere else.

 Therefore, the current in each section of the circuit is the same as the
current in all other sections. It has only one path going from the positive
(+) side of the source to the negative (-) side.
The following are key points to remember when you analyse series circuits:

1. Current through any of the series resistors is the same as the total
current.

2. If you know the total applied voltage and the total resistance, you can
determine the total current by Ohm’s law.

IT = VT/RT

3. If you know the voltage drop across one of the series resistors you can
determine the total current by Ohm’s law.

IT = VX/RX
4. If you know the total current, you can find the voltage drop across
any of the series resistors by Ohm’s law.

VX = ITRX

5. The polarity of a voltage drop across a resistor is positive at the end


of the resistor that is closest to the positive terminal of the voltage
source.

6. The current through a resistor is defined to be in a direction from the


positive end of the resistor to the negative end.
7. An open in a series circuit prevents current; and, therefore,
there is zero voltage drop across each series resistor. The total
voltage appears across the points between which there is an
open.

Now let’s look at several examples that use Ohm’s law for series
circuit analysis.
When two or more voltage sources are in series, the total voltage is
equal to the algebraic sum of the individual source voltages. The
algebraic sum means that the polarities of the sources must be
included when the sources are combined in series. Sources with
opposite polarities have voltages with opposite signs.

When the voltage sources are all in the same direction in terms of
their polarities, as in Figure 22(a), all of the voltages have the same
sign when added; there is a total of 4.5 V from terminal A to terminal
B with A more positive than B.
The voltage has a double subscript, AB, to indicate that it is the voltage at
point A with respect to point B.
In Figure 22(b), the middle voltage source is opposite to the other two; so its
voltage has an opposite sign when added to the others. For this case the total
voltage from A to B is

Terminal A is 1.5 V more positive than terminal B.


A familiar example of voltage sources
in series is the flashlight. When you
put two 1.5 V batteries in your
flashlight, they are connected in series,
giving a total of 3 V. When connecting
batteries or other voltage sources in
series to increase the total voltage,
always connect from the positive (+)
terminal of one to the negative (-)
terminal of another. Such a connection
is illustrated in Figure 23.
Thank you!

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