Parallel Wiring of Resistors

So, Francesca Vada A., Urbano, Courtney A., Yap, Justinne R.

Department of Biological Sciences

Resistors are one of the usual components that can be noticed in electric circuits. The
unit for resistance (R) is the ohm, which is coined from Georg S. Ohm, a German physicist
and mathematician (Herman, 2002) who discovered what is now known as Ohm’s law.
Ohm’s law dictates that a current passing through an ideal conductor between two points is
directly proportional to the voltage across two points, introducing the constant of
proportionality, which is the resistance (Consoliver & Mitchell, 1920). The Greek letter
omega (𝛀) is used to symbolize resistance. Resistors come in various sizes, types, and ratings
to suit the needs of almost any circuit applications. Resistors are regularly used to perform
two functions. The primary function of a resistor is to regulate the flow of current through the
circuit. If a resistor were absent, the circuit current would be only restricted by the resistance
of the conductor, which would be very low, and a large amount of current would flow. This is
commonly known as a short circuit. The second function is to yield a voltage divider, which
is a linear circuit that produces an output voltage equal to merely a fraction or the input
voltage, turning a large voltage value into a smaller one.

The value of a resistor can often be known by making use of the color code. A lot of
resistors have bands of color that are used to determine the resistance value, tolerance, and in
some cases, reliability. The color bands represents a different numerical value. There are
charts which shows the color and the number value assigned to each color. Resistors can have
three to five bands of color. The ones containing 3 color bands have a tolerance of ±20%, the
rest contain four bands of color. The first two color bands in resistors with tolerance ranges
from ± 10% to ±2% represent numerical values, while the third color band exhibits the
multiplier to be used. This indicates that one must combine the first two numbers and
multiply the resulting two-digit number by the power of 10 shown by the value of the third
band. The fourth color band signifies the value of tolerance the resistor is capable of
handling.

Electric circuits can be divided into three major kinds: series, parallel, and
combination circuits. Circuits that contain both series and parallel paths are called
combination circuits. Many circuits combine series and parallel resistors in different ways to
restrict current and at the same time splitting the current in other parts of the circuit. Series
circuit is a circuit that only has a singular path for current flow. Due to the fact that there is
only one path for current flow, the current is distributed evenly or the value of the current is
the same at any point in the circuit (Herman, 2002). A parallel circuit may consist of three
resistors, but they form more than one continuous path for electrons to flow. Each individual
path is called a branch. Components that share two common nodes, which are the electrical
junctions, are said to be in parallel. From the positive terminal of the battery, the node which
connects the battery to R1 is also connected to other resistors. The other ends of the resistors
are drawn together and return to the negative terminal of the battery. In the presence of three
resistors, three distinct paths may be undertaken by the current before returning to the battery
(“Series and Parallel Circuits,” n.d.).

Voltage (V), current (I) and resistance (R) may be determined using three rules, in
conjunction with Ohm’s Law (Herman, 2001). Ohm’s Law states that the voltage is directly
proportional to the current and may be expressed by the formula V = IR. The potential
difference (voltage) varies linearly with the current. The first rule concerning parallel circuits
is its basic definition; it has two or more pathways for a current to flow through.

Since a parallel circuit makes use of more than one pathway, the current flowing
through one path may be different from another path. In spite of this, the voltage drop across
all of the resistors in a parallel circuit remains the same. Therefore, all of the resistors in a
parallel circuit possess a common voltage (voltage is constant). This is the second rule
concerning parallel circuits, and it holds true for all parallel circuit connections. (“Resistors in
Parallel,” n.d.). However, two elements are connected in series if they both use a singular
node and if the same current flows through them. The flow of current will initially encounter
the first resistor as it flows from the positive terminal of the power source, i.e. a battery. From
there, it will flow to the succeeding resistors until the current flows to the negative terminal.
In a series circuit, there is only one path for current to flow and the current is constant
(“Series and Parallel Circuits,” n.d.).

Resistors in parallel decrease in overall resistance with respect to the perspective of

the source voltage. Two resistors with equal resistance connected in parallel results in an
equivalence resistance of half the value of either one. When two resistors of unequal value
are placed in parallel, more current will flow through the path with the lower resistance than
that of the higher resistance. For multiple resistances in parallel, amount of current flowing
through any branch have an inverse proportion to the resistance within that branch. This
means that the higher the resistance, the more current goes in that path. Electric current
favors the path of the least resistance, similar to water (Shamieh & McComb, 2009).

Each resistor in a parallel circuit receives current from the battery or the power source
as if the other resistors are not present. All the resistors together draw more current from the
power source compared to the current drawn by each resistor individually. Since a large
current implies a small resistance, parallel resistors behave as a single equivalent resistance
that is smaller than the value of any of the resistors one by one (Cutnell & Johnson, 2015).

The third rule concerning parallel circuits implies that the sum of all the currents
through each pathway is equal to the total current from the power source. Several resistors
connected in parallel will yield the equivalent of a single resistor (RF). The resistance of RF
can be obtained from I/RF = 1/R1 + 1/R2 ...+ 1/Rn. For any number of resistors that are wired
in parallel, the total current from the voltage source is equal to the sum of the currents in the
individual resistors (Cutnell & Johnson, 2015). If the number of output devices are increased
in a series connection, the resistance increases. This does not happen in parallel circuits.
 In a parallel circuit, the smallest resistance possesses the largest impact in determining
the equivalent resistance of the circuit. In the event that any of resistances reaches zero, the
equivalent resistance of the entire circuit also approaches zero. This near-zero resistance will
then “short out” the other resistances because it provides a near-zero resistance path for the
current to flow through as a shortcut around the other resistances (Cutnell & Johnson, 2015).
Shorting out a system signifies an excessive current flow in the power source through a
“short”. If unattended to, this may cause the destruction of the power source.

An example of the application of a parallel circuits is the arrangement of household

circuits, which are normally wired in parallel to allow the operation of each power point
independently of the others. Because the current is split up in parallel circuits and each
current travels along different pathways, this guarantees that the current running through the
series stays small and manageable in order to prevent complications. The sockets or devices
not in use do not interfere with the operation of the devices that are turned on. This way, if
ever the current in one device is interrupted, it will not affect the current of the other devices
with ongoing operations. This implies that a parallel circuit can handle several different
wattage devices connected to a singular outlet with ease. A parallel circuit is often used if one
requires multiple loads to be operational. If a series circuit is used, the voltage drop will not
be the same for all the pathways since its voltage is not constant. Also, since there is only one
path through which a current can flow, in the event that one part of the circuit is damaged all
of the loads in the circuit will not function.

Another case is that of a three-way light bulb, which is used widely because it
provides three levels of illumination but only requires one socket. This socket must be
equipped with a three-way switch that enables one to choose an illumination level. The
switch cannot select a different voltage since voltage is constant in a parallel series, but the
current provided to each pathway can be regulated and/or limited. In comparison to a light
bulb connected through series, a parallel-wired light bulb has greater brightness.

Along with a parallel circuit’s many advantages comes several disadvantages, such as
the inability to add power sources, its incapacity to increase or multiply the voltage, and the
parallel circuit’s complex design. Also, with the addition of a new load to a parallel circuit,
the source amperage or the electrical current must also be increased.

All in all, a parallel circuit is useful in the event of multiple loads, since there is more
than one pathway for the current to flow through, and instances wherein the voltage must
remain constant. Different currents are carried through parallel connections and in order to
find its resistance, the overall current of the circuit is equivalent to the sum of the currents of
each resistor. Loads connected via parallel circuits function separate from the other loads,
meaning that in the event of an impairment, the productivity of the other loads are not
affected. This makes parallel circuits beneficial in the wirings of establishments, among
others.
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