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Circuits

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22 views14 pages

Circuits

Uploaded by

shelmercarigaba
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 PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Series and

Parallel
Series vs Parallel Circuits
Series Circuit Parallel Circuit
• Electrons only have one • There are MULTIPLE
path to flow through. paths for the current to
flow through.
Series Circuit
• When electrons have to flow through one part
to get to the next part

– More components = more resistance


– Increase resistance = decrease current (flow)
– Less current = less bright bulbs
– As voltage increases, current increases
Series Circuit – Pros & Cons
Problems with Series:
• The more devices (resistors) in a series circuit, the
less current passes through (dimmer bulbs).

• If one resistor breaks (a bulb goes out) the entire


series is turned off.
Series Circuit - Resistance
• Resistors – resists the flow of electrical current
• Increased resistance will reduce the rate at which
charge flows (aka current)
• Total resistance goes UP with each resistor since the
current has must go through each resistor.
• Total Resistance = Sum of all resistors in the series
Req = R1+R2+ R3…
Series Circuit - Current

• Current = amount of charge (flow of electrons)


– Like the flow of water
• A current can't just disappear (appear)
– Since only one path if some electrons flow through
R1, then they have to continue flowing through R2
and R3.

– Since the Current is the same through the entire


circuit IT=I1=I2=I3
Series Circuit - Voltage
• Voltage is the electric equivalent of water
pressure.
– The higher the voltage, the faster electrons will
flow through the conductor.
• Each component has resistance that
causes a drop in voltage (reduction in
voltage).

• Total Voltage = The sum of voltages across


each series resistors
VT = V1 + V2 + V3…
Parallel Circuit – Pros and Cons
Advantages
• The more devices (resistors) in a parallel circuit, does
not decrease the current (does not dim bulbs).
• If one resistor breaks (a bulb goes out) the rest do
not.
Problems
• Current doesn’t stay the same for entire circuit
– So energy is used up quicker
– So the total current increases = faster electrons =
hotter wire = fire?
Which is better?
Series or Parallel?
Parallel
• Most things are wired in parallel
• Because of the fact that the more you plug
in, the intensity doesn’t decrease.
• Of course, this also increases the risk of
fire
• This is why homes have fuses or circuit
breakers. They turn off everything in the
circuit when current moves too fast.
Parallel Circuit - Voltage
• Voltage: The voltage is equal across all
components in a parallel circuit.
• The voltage is the same for all components in
a parallel circuit: V1 = V2 = . . . Vn

VT=V1 = V2 . . . Vn
Parallel Circuit - Current
• Current: The total circuit current equals the
sum of the individual branch currents.
• The total parallel circuit current is the sum of
the individual branch currents: Itotal = I1 + I2
+ . . . In

IT= I1 = I2 . . . In
Parallel Circuit - Current
• Resistance: The total resistance of a parallel
circuit is less than any of the individual brand
resistances.
• The total resistance of a parallel circuit is less
than any of the individual brand resistances;
Two Types of Current
• DC—Direct Current
– produced by solar cells and chemical cells
(batteries)
– Current only flows in one direction.
• AC—Alternating Current
– Current flows back and forth (alternates)
– Found in homes
– Generators produce AC current

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