SERIES PARALLEL RESISTOR COMBINATIONS

UP TO NOW WE HAVE STUDIED CIRCUITS THAT

CAN BE ANALYZED WITH ONE APPLICATION OF
KVL(SINGLE LOOP) OR KCL(SINGLE NODE-PAIR)

WE HAVE ALSO SEEN THAT IN SOME SITUATIONS

IT IS ADVANTAGEOUS TO COMBINE RESISTORS
TO SIMPLIFY THE ANALYSIS OF A CIRCUIT

NOW WE EXAMINE SOME MORE COMPLEX CIRCUITS

WHERE WE CAN SIMPLIFY THE ANALYSIS USING
THE TECHNIQUE OF COMBINING RESISTORS…

… PLUS THE USE OF OHM’S LAW

SERIES COMBINATIONS

PARALLEL COMBINATION

G p  G1  G2  ... G N
 FIRST WE PRACTICE COMBINING RESISTORS

3k
SERIES
6k||3k

(10K,2K)SERIES

6k || 12k  4k

5k
12k
3k
 3k || 6k  2k
12k
If things get confusing…

6k || (4k  2k )
12k || 12k  6k
EXAMPLES COMBINATION SERIES-PARALLEL
9k
If the drawing gets confusing…
Redraw the reduced circuit
and start again

18k || 9k  6k

RESISTORS ARE IN SERIES IF THEY CARRY

EXACTLY THE SAME CURRENT

6k  6k  10k RESISTORS ARE IN PARALLEL IF THEY ARE

CONNECTED EXACTLY BETWEEN THE SAME TWO
NODES
 EFFECT OF RESISTOR TOLERANCE

NOMINAL RESISTOR VALUE : 2.7k

RESISTOR TOLERANCE : 10%
RANGES FOR CURRENT AND POWER?

_

10
NOMINAL POWER : P 
10
2
 37.04 mW
NOMINAL CURRENT : I   3.704 mA
2.7 2.7

10
MINIMUM CURRENT : I min   3.367 mA
1.1 2.7 MINIMUM POWER(VImin ) : 33.67 mW
 4.115 mA MAXIMUM POWER : 41.15 mW
10
MAXIMUM CURRENT : I max 
0.9  2.7

THE RANGES FOR CURRENT AND POWER ARE DETERMINED BY THE TOLERANCE
BUT THE PERCENTAGE OF CHANGE MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM THE PERCENTAGE
OF TOLERANCE. THE RANGES MAY NOT EVEN BE SYMMETRIC
CIRCUIT WITH SERIES-PARALLEL RESISTOR COMBINATIONS

THE COMBINATION OF COMPONENTS CAN REDUCE

THE COMPLEXITY OF A CIRCUIT AND RENDER IT
SUITABLE FOR ANALYSIS USING THE BASIC
TOOLS DEVELOPED SO FAR.
COMBINING RESISTORS IN SERIES ELIMINATES
ONE NODE FROM THE CIRCUIT.
COMBINING RESISTORS IN PARALLEL ELIMINATES
ONE LOOP FROM THE CIRCUIT

GENERAL STRATEGY:
•REDUCE COMPLEXITY UNTIL THE CIRCUIT
BECOMES SIMPLE ENOUGH TO ANALYZE.
•USE DATA FROM SIMPLIFIED CIRCUIT TO
COMPUTE DESIRED VARIABLES IN ORIGINAL
CIRCUIT - HENCE ONE MUST KEEP TRACK
OF ANY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VARIABLES
 4k || 12k 12k
FIRST REDUCE IT TO A SINGLE LOOP CIRCUIT

SECOND: “BACKTRACK” USING KVL, KCL OHM’S

6k
I3
Va KCL : I1  I 2  I 3  0
OHM' S : I 2 
6k
OHM' S : Vb  3k * I 3
6k || 6k

KCL : I 5  I 4  I 3  0
OHM' S : VC  3k * I 5

12V
I1  3
12k Va  (12)
39
 2k || 2k  1k
LEARNING BY DOING

1k
VOLTAGE DIVIDER : VO  (3V )  1V
1k  2k

1k  1k  2k

1k
CURRENT DIVIDER : I O  (3 A)  1A
1k  2k
AN EXAMPLE OF “BACKTRACKING”
 1.5mA
I1  3mA V xz  6V
3V

1mA  1.5mA

VO  36V

3V  0.5mA

A STRATEGY. ALWAYS ASK: “WHAT ELSE CAN I

COMPUTE?”

Vb  6k * I 4 V xz  Va  Vb
Vb V
I3  I 5  xz
3k 4k
I2  I3  I4 I1  I 2  I 5
Va  2k * I 2 VO  6k * I1  V xz  4k * I1
 FIND VO 60k
V1 6V
FIND VS
V1  60k * 0.1mA
6V
0.15mA  0.05mA I1 
120k
2V 6V
9V 
STRATEGY : FIND V1 30k || 60k  20k

USE VOLTAGE DIVIDER THIS IS AN INVERSE PROBLEM

WHAT CAN BE COMPUTED?

20k VS  20k * 0.15mA  6V

 
20k
(12)  6V
+ 20k  20k
-
20k V1
12V 
VOLTAGE DIVIDER
20k
VO  V1
20k  40k
 Y   TRANSFORMATIONS

THIS CIRCUIT HAS NO RESISTOR IN THEN THE CIRCUIT WOULD

SERIES OR PARALLEL BECOME LIKE THIS AND
BE AMENABLE TO SERIES
IF INSTEAD WE COULD PARALLEL TRANSFORMATIONS
OF THIS HAVE THIS
 Rab  R2 || ( R1  R3 )  Y
Rab  Ra  Rb
Y 

R2 ( R1  R3 ) R R Ra R1
  
Rb R1 Rb R2

RR
 R2  b 1
Ra  Rb  Ra  1 2 R3
R1  R2  R3 R1  R2  R3 Rb R3 Ra Rc R1 Rc
R2 R3 REPLACE IN THE THIRD AND SOLVE FOR R1
R ( R  R2 ) Rb 
Rb  Rc  3 1 R1  R2  R3 
Ra Rb  Rb Rc  Rc Ra
R1  R2  R3 R1
Rb
R3 R1
Rc 
R1  R2  R3 R R  Rb Rc  Rc Ra
R1 ( R2  R3 ) R2  a b
Rc  Ra   Y Rc
R1  R2  R3 R R  Rb Rc  Rc Ra
R3  a b
SUBTRACT THE FIRST TWO THEN ADD Ra
TO THE THIRD TO GET Ra Y 
LEARNING EXAMPLE: APPLICATION OF WYE-DELTA TRANSFORMATION
c
COMPUTE IS c DELTA CONNECTION

R1 12k  6k
R3 
12k  6k  18k
a R2 b

R1R2 a b
Ra 
R1  R2  R3
R2 R3
Rb 
R1  R2  R3
R3 R1
Rc  12V
R1  R2  R3 IS   1.2mA
12k
 Y

ONE COULD ALSO USE A

WYE - DELTA TRANSFORMATION ...
 LEARNING EXAMPLE
CONVERT THIS Y INTO A DELTA?

SHOULD KEEP THESE TWO NODES!

IF WE CONVERT TO Y INTO A DELTA THERE ARE SERIES PARALLEL REDUCTIONS!

Ra Rb  Rb Rc  Rc Ra 3 *12k  *12k 
R1    36k 
Rb 12k 
THE RESULTING
Ra Rb  Rb Rc  Rc Ra 36k CIRCUIT IS A
R2  12k
Rc CURRENT DIVIDER
Ra Rb  Rb Rc  Rc Ra
R3  4mA 36k

Ra 36k
Y  12k V O


 CIRCUIT AFTER PARALLEL RESISTOR
REDUCTION
36k ||12k  9k
4mA 36k IO 
36k 8
9k VO IO   4mA  mA
36k  18k 3


8
VO  9k   I O  9k   mA  24V NOTICE THAT BY KEEPING
3 THE FRACTION WE PRESERVE
FULL NUMERICAL ACCURACY