PARALLEL AND SERIES-PARALLEL CIRCUITS

 The RLC Series Circuit

Consider a circuit containing a resistor R, an inductor L, and a capacitor C, connected in
series. This combination, shown in figure 28.2, is called an RLC series circuit. Because
R, L, and C are in series, we would expect the total applied voltage to be equal to the sum
of the voltages across R, L, and C. But if we placed a voltmeter across R, L, and C, we
would find that V ≠ VR + VL + VC (28.8) The effective voltages do not add up
algebraically because the sinusoidal voltages are not in phase with one another.

 RLC Parallel Circuit

An AC circuit with a resistor, inductor, and capacitor in parallel, called an
RLC parallel circuit, is shown in figure 28.13. Since R, L, and C are in parallel the
voltage across each of them is the same. This means that the voltages are not only equal,
but they are also in phase with one another. Thus, V = VR = VL = VC