Electricity

Series Circuit

A circuit where all components are connected end to end. The electrons only have 1 path to follow.

Parallel Circuit

A circuit where each component has its own branch that's connected to the battery. This allows each component to receive the full battery voltage.

How to calculate total current given resistors and battery voltage in a series circuit?

1. Find the total voltage by adding together the battery voltages
2. Find the total resistance by adding together the two resistor values
3. Divide the total voltage by the total resistance to find the total current.

How to calculate total current & resistance given resistors and battery voltage in a parallel circuit?

1. Find the total battery voltage by adding together the battery voltages
2. Divide the total voltage by each resistor to get their individual current values
3. Find the sum of the resistor's currents to find the total current.
4. Divide the total voltage by the total current to find the total resistance.

How to find the voltage drop in a circuit?

Voltage Drop = Current through component x Resistance of component

What is the relationship between resistance and current according to Ohm's Law?

Inverse relationship: As resistance increases, current flow decreases.

What is the relationship between voltage and current according to Ohm's Law?

Direct relationship: As the voltage increases, the current flow increases.

Equation of Ohm's Law?

Current (A) = Voltage (v)/Resistance (ohms) OR Voltage = Current (A) x Resistance (ohms)

If one bulb goes out in a series circuit, what happens to the rest of them?

The rest of the bulbs will go out because the current can only flow through one path, as the battery voltage is distributed among the bulbs.

If one bulb goes out in a parallel circuit, what happens to the rest of them?

The rest of the bulbs will remain lighted because they each have their own branch that is connected to the battery, and they each receive the full battery voltage. So, if one goes out, it can't interrupt the current flow of the others because they are individually lighted.

How much voltage does each component get in a series circuit vs. a parallel circuit?

In a series circuit, each component gets a different amount of voltage since everything is connected and therefore shared between the battery voltage.

In a parallel circuit, each component gets the same amount of voltage because they each receive the full battery voltage.