Sevies Cireults If all the parts of an electric circuit are connected one after another, the circuit is a series circuit. Figure 12 illustrates a series circuit. In a series circuit, there is only one path for the current to take. For example, a switch and the device it controls are con- nected in series with each other, One Path A series circuit is very simple to design and build, but ithas some disadvantages. What happens if a bulb in a series circuit burns out? A burned-out bulb is a break in the circuit, and there is no other path for the charges to take. So if one light goes out, all the lights go out. Added Resistors Another disadvantage of a series circuitis that the light bulbs in the circuit become dimmer as more bulbs are added. Why does that happen? Think about what happens to the overall resistance of a series circuit as you add more bulbs. The resistance increases. Remember that if resistance increases, cur- rent decreases. So as light bulbs are added to a series circuit, the current decreases. The result is that the bulbs burn less brightly. Amimeters Different meters are wired into circuits in differ- ent ways. Recall from the previous section that an ammeter is used to measure current. If you want to measure the current through some device in a circuit, the ammeter should be con- nected in series with the devi of Check pocut How does resistance change as you add bulbs to a series circuit? Parallel Circults Could the lights on the ships have been connected in series? No—if the lights were part of a series circuit, all of the lights Would have gone off when one burned out. What you saw, how- ever, was that a few lights were burned out and the rest were Drightly lit. Figure 12 A series circuit provides only one path for the flow of electrons. Applying Concepts What will ‘happen to the other bulbs if ‘one bulb bums out? Chapter 2. N¢ 65Figure 13 A parallel circuit provides several paths for the flow Of electrons. More current flows, and the bulbs are brighter than in the series circuit. ‘The ships’ lights were connected in parallel circuits. In a parallel circuit, the different parts of the circuit are on separate | branches. Figure 13 shows a parallel circuit, In a parallel circuit, {i there are several paths for current to take, Notice that each bulb ! has its own path from one terminal of the battery to the other. iB Several Paths What happens if a light burns out in a parallel | Sharpen YOU —ciscult If there is a breakin one branch, current can still move > through the other branches. So if one bulb goes out, the others § = j temain lit, Switches can be placed along each branch so that indi- > et J sidual bulbs canbe turned on and off without affecting the others. |) A abi Added Branches What happens to the resistance of a parallel | Predicting AGREWAy circuit when you add a branch? Although you might think that 1, Look at the 7 the overall resistance increases, it actually decreases. To under- : ircuit diagram below. stand this, consider the flow of water once again, Suppose water : Predict whether all three ‘ = Popebutee wat ine wih Being zleased from a reservoir held by a dam. If the water i | the same brightness, allowed to flow through one pipe, a certain amount of water | comes out. But if two pipes are used instead of one, twice as much water flows. The water will flow more easily because it has two paths to take. The same is true for a parallel circuit. As new " paths, or branches, are added, the electric current has more paths il to follow, and so total resistance decreases. ‘What does this tell you about current? If resistance decreases, L, the current must increase. The increased current travels along t 2. Construct the circuit using the new branch without affecting the original branches. So as Gdly cellandthree iden. you add branches to a parallel circuit, the brightness ofthe light tical light bulbs. Observe bulbs does not change. the brightness of the bulbs. 4), eas i eae Does this circuit behave like foltmeters Recall from Section 2 that a voltmeter is used to elther a parallel circuit or a measure voltage. When you measure the voltage across some series circuit? Explain. device, the voltmeter and the device should be wired as parallel circuits. | 660N i