Miss Wise's Physics Site
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Series and Parallel Circuits

Series Circuits

Picture
For current to flow there needs to be a complete path from the power source to the component and back again. In a series circuit there is only on loop or path.

In a series circuit, the current is the same at all points but the voltage is shared between the components.  This means that if you put two bulbs in series with each other, they will be dimmer than if there was only one. If one of the bulbs break, the circuit will be broken and both will switch off.

Parallel Circuits

Picture
In a parallel circuit, there is more than one loop. When electrons reach the junction, they can travel one way or the other. Because of this the current splits at a junction but the total amount of current will stay the same. For example, in the circuit above, the 6A of electrons could be coming out of the cell, when they reach the junction, if the lamps are identical, 3A will travel down each path.  There is still a total of 6A of current in the circuit. We do not lose any electrons.

When the electrons split, they have not lost any energy so there will be the same voltage in each of the loops.  This means that the bulbs will be as bright as each other. If one breaks, the other will remain lit because there is still a complete path for the electrons to flow through.

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  • Home
  • GCSE
    • Combined Science >
      • The History of the Universe
      • Telescopes
      • Infrasound
      • The Structure of the Earth and Seismic Waves
      • Life Cycle of a Star
      • The Big Bang Theory and The Doppler Effect
    • Radioactivity >
      • The Structure of an Atom
      • Types of Radiation
      • Uses of Radiation
      • Nuclear Fission
      • Half Life
    • Electricity >
      • Static Electricity
      • Current, Voltage, Energy
      • Circuit Symbols
      • Series and Parallel Circuits
      • Ohm's Law and Resistance
      • Alternating Current
      • Electrical Safety
      • Energy and Pricing
      • The National Grid
    • Electromagnetism >
      • Magnets and Electromagnets
      • Electromagnetic Induction
      • Motors and Generators
      • Transformers
    • Waves >
      • Sound and Ultrasound
      • Wave Properties >
        • Reflection and Refraction
        • Diffraction
        • Images in a Mirror
        • Interference
      • EM Spectrum and it's uses >
        • Radiowaves
        • Microwaves
        • Infra Red
        • Visible Light
        • UV
        • X- Rays
        • Gamma Rays
    • Forces and Motion >
      • Speed and Velocity
      • Graphs of Motion
      • Newton's Laws
      • Common Forces
      • Terminal Velocity
      • Elasticity
      • Moments
      • Circular Motion
      • Momentum
      • Car Safety
    • Particles >
      • States of Matter
      • Density
      • Pressure
      • Ideal Gases
      • Changing State and Temperature >
        • Specific Heat Capacity
        • Specific Latent Heat
      • Heat Transfer >
        • Conduction
        • Convection
        • Cooling
        • Radiation
    • Energy Resources and Energy Transfer >
      • Energy and Efficiency
      • Heat Loss In the Home
      • Gravitational Potential Energy
      • Kinetic Energy
      • Work
      • Power Stations
  • Physics Skills
    • How to Write up an Experiment >
      • Hypothesis
      • Methods
      • How to Draw a Graph
      • Results Tables
      • Conclusions
      • Evaluations
    • Mathematics >
      • Rearranging Equations
      • Substituting into Equations
      • Trigonometry
      • Errors
  • Lesson Blog
  • Apps
  • Teachers Area