Experiment 9 (Resistors in Series and Parallel) ABSTRACT

Circuits consist of the connection of two or more electrical devices to a power source. There are two basic ways to connect circuits; series and parallel. In a series circuit, it consists of one continuous path to and from the power source. The devices are connected together in one chain so that there is only one way the electrons can flow. Electrons flow in a clockwise direction. Same current flows through both resistors when two are in series and the voltages add up to the battery voltage. In a parallel circuit, each device is placed in its own separate branch. The presence of branch lines means that there are multiple pathways by which charge can traverse the external circuit. Resistors in Parallel have a common voltage across them and are true for all parallel elements. The equivalent or total resistance, RT of a parallel combination is found through reciprocal addition and the total resistance value will always be less than the smallest individual resistor in the combination.

1. How does the total resistance compare with the individual resistances in a series circuit?

2. How does the total resistance compare with the individual resistances in a parallel circuit?

3. Given the three resistors: 50

, 100

and 200 . What is their total resistance

when they are connected (a) in series and (b) in parallel?