CURRENT AND

VOLTAGE
IN PARALLEL CIRCUITS
9.2
LEARNING
OBJECTIVE

• 9Pe.02 Know how to measure

current and voltage in series and
parallel circuits and describe the
effect of adding cells and lamps.
 RATING VOLTAGE

KEY WORDS

VOLTMETER VOLTS
WARM UP!

1 electrons
2 they move faster
3 amps / A
 WHAT IS
VOLTAGE?
• What does “voltage” mean?
• The voltage (or potential difference)
between two points is a measure of the
work done per “bit” of charge moving
between these points.
• Voltage is what makes the electric
charges move. It is the ‘push’ that causes
charges to move in a wire or other
electrical conductor.
• Voltage is related to the electrical
energy supplied to a circuit by
• the cell, battery or power supply.
Voltage is linked to energy, but
• it is not the same as energy
 VOLTAGE
• Most cells supply 1.5 V. A battery is two or more
cells connected in series. Batteries commonly
supply 6 V, 9 V or 12 V. Each of the cells or
batteries in this picture has a different voltage.
• The sockets found on the walls of buildings
supply a mains voltage. Mains in this context
means an electrical supply that comes from a
power station or generator of some kind. In
most countries the mains voltage is between
220 and 240 V.
• Voltage can also be used as a measure of the
energy changed by components in a circuit.
For example, lamps change electrical energy
into light and thermal energy. The energy that
a lamp changes can be measured in volts.
Most components have a voltage rating.
 MEASURING VOLTAGE
• Voltage is measured using a voltmeter. This picture
shows a digital voltmeter, an analogue voltmeter,
and the circuit symbol for a voltmeter. A voltmeter
is connected in a different way to an ammeter.
An ammeter measures the current flowing through
a component, so the ammeter is connected in
series with the component.
• The voltmeter measures the energy difference
either side of a component, so the voltmeter is
connected in parallel with the component.
• A voltmeter should be connected in parallel with
components in a circuit Look at the drawing of the
circuit and circuit diagram. The ammeter is
connected in series with the lamp and the
voltmeter is connected in parallel with the lamp.
 VOLTAGE IN A SERIES CIRCUIT
If the voltage V
across the
battery is 6V…

…and these
bulbs are all
identical…

…what will the V V

voltage across
each bulb be? 2V
 VOLTAGE IN A SERIES CIRCUIT
V
Notice that the voltages add up
to the voltage across the battery
– this is because the work done on
each unit of charge by the
battery must equal the work done
by it to the bulbs.
Energy is always conserved, so
the energy changed by the
components in a circuit must be
equal to the energy supplied by V V
the cell, battery or power supply.
 VOLTAGE IN A SERIES CIRCUIT
• Look at the circuit in this diagram. All three
lamps are identical. They change the same
quantity of energy, so have the same
voltage. The voltage across all the lamps
adds up to the voltage from the battery. Look
at this next circuit, where the components are
not the same. In this circuit, the lamp is
changing more energy than the buzzer, so
the voltage across the lamp is higher than the
buzzer. The voltages across the lamp and
buzzer add up to the voltage of the battery.
 13/03/2023

VOLTAGE IN A SERIES CIRCUIT

If the voltage V
across the
battery is 6V…

…what will the

voltage across V
two bulbs be?
4V
 ADDING MORE COMPONENTS IN A SERIES
CIRCUIT
• The voltage from the supply in a
series circuit is shared between
each of the components. That
means adding components such
as lamps or buzzers will cause
each component to get a smaller
share of the voltage. Compare
these two series circuits. Both
have the same type of battery,
and both have identical lamps.
 ADDING MORE COMPONENTS IN A SERIES
CIRCUIT
• Adding more components in a
series circuit will decrease the
current. As components are
added, it becomes more
difficult for the power supply to
push the electrons around the
circuit.
• Compare these two series
circuits. The one with more
components has a smaller
current.
VOLTAGE IN A PARALLEL CIRCUIT
If the voltage across
the batteries is 4V…

What is the
voltage here? 4V
V

And here?
4V
V
 VOLTAGE IN A PARALLEL CIRCUIT
• The voltages across each of the branches
of a parallel circuit are equal to the
voltage of the supply.
• Look at these circuit diagrams.
• The voltage of the battery in both circuits is
9 V. In the left circuit, the voltage across
each lamp is also 9 V. Look at the right
circuit and you will see that the voltage
across the branches of a parallel circuit is
the same whether the components are
the same. The lamp and the buzzer are
different, but the voltage across the
branches is still the same (9 V).
ADDING MORE COMPONENTS IN A PARALLEL
CIRCUIT
• Adding more branches to a parallel circuit gives more
paths for the current to flow through. The more paths there
are for current to flow through, the easier it becomes. That
means the current though the cell increases. Compare
these two parallel circuits. Each has the same type of
battery, and the lamps are identical. Adding more
components to any one branch of a parallel circuit will
decrease the current in that branch. Remember that the
voltage across any branch will be same, so adding more
components in the branch makes it harder for current to
flow in that branch.
• Adding cells to a parallel circuit increases the supply
voltage so it also:
• increases the voltage across each branch
• increases the current through the cell
• increases the current through each branch.
LEARNER’S BOOK
PAGE#313-315
LEARNER’S BOOK PAGE#313-315
ANSWERS!
WORKBOOK PAGE# 176-177
WORKBOOK PAGE# 178-179
ANSWERS!