Lesson 8.

Series and Parallel Circuits

Objective
At the end explain how series and
of the 1 parallel connections work.
lesson, you
should be
able to:
 Learn about It!

Two types of circuit based on their connections

1. Series circuit
2. Parallel circuit
 Learn about It!

Series Circuit
• This is characterized by the flow of charges in one path only
on an electric circuit.
• The current that passes through each of the light bulbs is
the same.
• If there is a gap in the circuit, all of the light bulbs would go
off.
• If one of the light bulbs burned out, then current would
cease to flow, and the other bulbs would go off as well.
 Learn about It!

Series Circuit
• The current in a series connection follows a single pathway.
Hence, the current through each device is the same.
• The sum of voltage across each device is equal to the
voltage provided by the source.
• The overall resistance in a series circuit is the sum of the
individual resistances of each connected device in the
circuit.
 Learn about It!

Mathematical Characteristics of Series Circuit

where IT is the total current in amperes (A) and

subscript N is the total number of loads in the
circuit.

where VT is the total voltage in volts (V) and subscript N

is the total number of loads in the circuit.
 Learn about It!

Mathematical Characteristics of Series Circuit

where RT is the total resistance in ohms (Ω) and

subscript N is the total number of loads in the
circuit.
 Try it!

A circuit of three loads is connected in series. If

the circuit has a total resistance of 110 Ω and is
connected to 220 V source, find the total and
individual currents of the loads.
 Try it! Solution

A circuit of three loads is connected in series. If

the circuit has a total resistance of 110 Ω and is
connected to 220 V source, find the total and
individual currents of the loads.
Step 1 Identify what is required to find in the problem.
calculate for the IT and individual current of the loads.
Step 2 Identify the given in the problem.
The total resistance of the circuit, as well as the total
voltage of the circuit, are given.
 Try it! Solution

A circuit of three loads is connected in series. If

the circuit has a total resistance of 110 Ω and is
connected to 220 V source, find the total and
individual currents of the loads.
Step 3 Write the working equation.

Step 4 Substitute the given values.

 Try it! Solution

A circuit of three loads is connected in series. If

the circuit has a total resistance of 110 Ω and is
connected to 220 V source, find the total and
individual currents of the loads.
Step 5 Find the answer
 Learn about It!

Parallel Circuit
• There are several path which the electrons can flow.
• If the switch is off on one bulb, the other bulbs can still
function.
• If one of the light bulbs burned out, the other bulbs will still
work normally.
 Learn about It!

Parallel Circuit
• The sum of current in each device (or branch) is equal to the
total current in the circuit.
• The voltage across each device is the same.
• If more devices are connected in parallel to a circuit, then
the overall resistance is lowered.
 Learn about It!

Mathematical Characteristics of Parallel Circuit

where IT is the total current in amperes (A) and

subscript N is the total number of loads in the
circuit.

where VT is the total voltage in volts (V) and subscript N

is the total number of loads in the circuit.
 Learn about It!

Mathematical Characteristics of Parallel Circuit

where RT is the total resistance in ohms (Ω) and

subscript N is the total number of loads in the
circuit.
 Try it!

A circuit of 7 loads is connected in parallel. If the

circuit has a total resistance of 150 Ω and has an
overall current of 0.73 A, find the total and
individual voltages of the loads.
 Try it! Solution

A circuit of 7 loads is connected in parallel. If the

circuit has a total resistance of 150 Ω and has an
overall current of 0.73 A, find the total and
individual voltages of the loads.
Step 1 Identify what is required to find in the problem.
calculate for the VT and individual voltages
Step 2 Identify the given in the problem.
The total resistance of the circuit, as well as the total
voltage of the circuit, are given.
 Try it! Solution

A circuit of 7 loads is connected in parallel. If the

circuit has a total resistance of 150 Ω and has an
overall current of 0.73 A, find the total and
individual voltages of the loads.
Step 3 Write the working equation.

Step 4 Substitute the given values.

 Try it! Solution

A circuit of 7 loads is connected in parallel. If the

circuit has a total resistance of 150 Ω and has an
overall current of 0.73 A, find the total and
individual voltages of the loads.

Step 5 Find the answer

Key Points

There are two types of circuits: series circuit and

1 parallel circuit.

In a series circuit,
● The current flows in a single pathway. Thus, the
2 current is the same in all devices.
● The overall resistance is increases as more devices
are connected. Hence, lowering the current.
Key Points

In a parallel circuit,
● Each device is connected to the same two points.
Thus, the voltage across each device is the same.
3 ● Since there are multiple paths for the current, the
overall resistance decreases as more devices are
connected. Hence, increasing the total current.
 Check Your Understanding

Read and analyze the following statements

given. Identify if the statement describes a
series or a parallel connection.
1. christmas lights in a christmas tree
2. connection of appliances at home
3. turning off the light switch turns off all the lights in a room
 Challenge Yourself

What would be the voltage of the two light bulbs in

a parallel circuit if the source has a voltage of 1100
mV?
 Bibliography

Hewitt, Paul G. 2010. Conceptual Physics (11th ed) . New York: Pearson Education.

Laurel-Sotto, Rosario. 2005. Science in Today’s World Series. SIBS Publishing House, Inc.

Young, H. and Freedman, R. 2008. Sears and Zemansky's University Physics ( with
Modern Physics) (12th ed.). USA: Pearson Education.