TYPES OF CIRCUITS

PREPARED BY: TAÑEDO, ENRICO JOSE V.

WHAT IS A CIRCUIT?

• In electronics, a circuit is a closed path that allows electricity to flow from

one point to another. It may include various electrical components, such as
transistors, resistors, and capacitors.
• The combination of components and wires allows various simple and
complex operations to be performed: signals can be amplified, computations
can be performed, and data can be moved from one place to another.
TYPES OF CIRCUITS: SERIES CIRCUIT

• In series circuit, electricity has only one path on which to travel. A series
circuit has only one path for electricity to flow from one point to another. The
amount of electricity in the circuit is consistent throughout any component in
the circuit. When electricity flows through a series circuit, its rate of flow
(speed) will never fluctuate. The total resistance of a series circuit equals the
sum of individual resistances. The more resistors that a series circuit has, the
more difficult it is for electrons to flow.
EXAMPLE: SERIES CIRCUIT

• In the example, two bulbs are powered by a battery in a series circuit design.
Electricity flows from the battery to each bulb, one at a time, in the order they are
wired to the circuit. In this case, because the electricity can only flow in one path,
if one of the bulbs blew out, the other bulb would not be able to light up because
the flow of electric current would have been interrupted. In the same way, if one
bulb was unscrewed, the current flow to both bulbs would be interrupted.
TYPES OF CIRCUIT: PARALLEL CIRCUIT

• In a parallel circuit, electricity has more than one path on which to travel.
• A parallel circuit has multiple paths for electricity to flow from one point to another.
According to website All About Circuits, “all components are connected between the
same set of electrically common points.” Often, resistors and sources will be connected
between two sets of electrically common points. In a parallel circuit, electricity can
flow in multiple directions horizontally and vertically. The components of a parallel
circuit will have the same voltage across their ends and will have identical polarities.
 EXAMPLE: PARALLEL CIRCUIT

• In the example, two bulbs are powered by a battery in a parallel circuit design. In this
case, because the electricity can flow in more than one path, if one of the bulbs blew out,
the other bulb would still be able to light up because the flow of electricity to the broken
bulb would not stop the flow of electricity to the good bulb. In the same way, if one bulb
were unscrewed, it would not prevent the other bulb from lighting up.
WHAT ABOUT RESISTANCE?

• The flow of electricity depends on how much resistance is in the circuit. In our
examples, the bulbs provide resistance. In a series circuit, the resistance in the
circuit equals the total resistance of all the bulbs. The more bulbs in the circuit,
the dimmer they will light. In a parallel circuit, there are multiple paths through
which current can flow, so the resistance of the overall circuit is lower than it
would be if only one path was available. The lower resistance means that the
current will be higher and the bulbs will burn brighter compared to the same
number of bulbs arranged in a series circuit.
THE TOTAL RESISTANCE OF A SERIES
CIRCUIT

The total resistance of the circuit is found by simply adding up the resistance
values of the individual resistors:
equivalent resistance of resistors in series : Rt = R1 + R2 + R3 + ...
VOLTAGE SERIES CIRCUIT
• To find the voltage in series circuit:
(Voltage = Current x Resistance) V = I x R
• To calculate voltage drop across a component:
Voltage drop (V) = Total Current (A) x Component Resistance (Ω)
• In a series circuit, the total voltage is equal to all the individual voltage drops
Vtotal = V1 + V2 + … Vn
CURRENT SERIES CIRCUIT
• To find the current of a series circuit:
(Current = Voltage/Resistance) I = V/R

I = V / R = 9 / 20 = 0.45 A
In a series circuit the current is the same throughout the entire circuit.
I = I1 = I2 = …. In
TOTAL RESISTANCE OF A PARALLEL CIRCUIT
• To find the Total Resistance in Parallel Circuit:

1/RT = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3 + 1/R4

EXAMPLE

A parallel circuit is shown in the diagram above. In this case the current supplied by the
battery splits up, and the amount going through each resistor depends on the resistance.
If the values of the three resistors are:
R1 = 8 Ω, R2 = 8 Ω, R3 = 4 Ω, the total resistance is found by
1/R = 1/8 + 1/8 + 1/ 4 = 1/2 convert to decimal 0.5
then,
1/0.5 = 2 This gives RT = 2 Ω.
VOLTAGE PARALLEL CIRCUIT

• To find Voltage in Parallel circuit: V = I x R

Ex. Total Current = 2A
Total Resistance = 3Ω
Voltage = Current x Resistance V = 2A x 3Ω = 6V
Ex.
• How to calculate voltage drop across lamp:
Lamp current = 1.5A
Lamp Resistance = 8 Ω
Voltage = Current x Resistance V = 1.5 x 8 Ω = 12V
CURRENT PARALLEL CIRCUIT

• To find Current in Parallel circuit: I = V/R

Ex. With a 10 V battery, by V = I R the total current in the circuit is: I = V / R = 10 / 2 = 5 A.
The individual currents can also be found using I = V / R.
For example the voltage across each resistor is 10 V, so:
I1 = 10 / 8 = 1.25 A
I2 = 10 / 8 = 1.25 A
I3=10 / 4 = 2.5 A

Note that the currents add together to 5A, the total current.
Total current (It) = I1 + I2 + I3
SOURCES:

• https://sciencing.com/two-types-electrical-circuits-8246628.html
• https://tryengineering.org/wp-content/uploads/serpar_0.pdf
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV6tZ3Aqfuc
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uyJezQNSHw
• https://techterms.com/definition/circuit
• http://physics.bu.edu/py106/notes/Circuits.html
• https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/series-and-parallel-circuits/all
• https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/direct-current/chpt-5/what-are-series-and-par
allel-circuits/