Series Circuits

A series circuit is any circuit that

Series Circuits provides only one path for current
flow.

Here two resistors are connected end to

end with their opposite ends connected
across the terminals of a voltage
source.
 The free electrons have only one path
Series Circuits to follow as they leave the negative
terminal of the voltage source, flow
through resistors R2 and R1, and return
to the positive terminal.
 Since there is only one path for
Series Circuits electrons to follow, the current, I, must
be the same in all parts of a series
circuit.

To solve for the values of voltage,

current, or resistance in a series circuit,
we can apply Ohm’s law.
Why I Is the Same in All Parts
of a Series Circuit ?
Why I Is the Same An electric current is a movement of
charges between two points, produced
in All Parts by the applied voltage. When
components are connected in
of a Series Circuit ? successive order, they form a series
circuit.

The resistors R1 and R2 are in series

with each other and the battery.
Why I Is the Same The battery supplies the potential
difference that forces free electrons
in All Parts to drift from the negative terminal at
A, toward B, through the connecting
of a Series Circuit ? wires and resistances R3, R2, and R1,
back to the positive battery terminal.

At the negative battery terminal, its

negative charge repels electrons.
Therefore, free electrons in the atoms
of the wire at this terminal are repelled.
Why I Is the Same At the same time, the positive charge
of the positive battery terminal attracts
in All Parts free electrons, causing electrons to
drift.
of a Series Circuit ? As a result, the free electrons in R1,
R2, and R3 are forced to drift toward
the positive terminal.
Why I Is the Same Series components can be defined as
those in the same current path.
in All Parts The path is from one side of the
of a Series Circuit ? voltage source, through the series
components, and back to the other side
of the applied voltage.
Examples of
series
connections
Total R Equals the Sum
of All Series Resistances
Total R Equals the When a series circuit is connected
across a voltage source, the free
Sum electrons forming the current must drift
through all the series resistances.
of All Series This path is the only way the electrons
Resistances can return to the battery. With two or
more resistances in the same current
path, therefore, the total resistance
across the voltage source is the
opposition of all the resistances.
Total R Equals the Specifically, the total resistance RT of a
series string is equal to the sum of the
Sum individual resistances.

of All Series The total opposition of R1 and R2

limiting the amount of current is the
Resistances same as though a 5-V resistance were
used.
Total R Equals the A combination of series resistances is
often called a string.
Sum The string resistance equals the sum of
of All Series the individual resistances.

Resistances By Ohm’s law, the amount of current

between two points in a circuit
Series String
equals the potential difference
divided by the resistance between
these points.
Total R Equals the Because the entire string is connected
across the voltage source, the current
Sum equals the voltage applied across the
entire string divided by the total
of All Series series resistance of the string.

Resistances
Series String
Total R Equals the The total resistance of a series string
equals the sum of the individual
Sum resistances. The formula is

of All Series
Resistances where RT is the total resistance and R1,
R2, and R3 are individual series
Series Resistance Formula
resistances.

This formula applies to any number of

resistances, whether equal or not, as
long as they are in the same series
string.
Total R Equals the Note that RT is the resistance to use in
calculating the current in a series
Sum string. Then Ohm’s law is

of All Series
Resistances
Series Resistance Formula where RT is the sum of all the
resistances, VT is the voltage applied
across the total resistance, and I is the
current in all parts of the string.
Example: 2-9 Example: 2-10
Two resistances R1 and R2 of 5 ohms With 80 V applied across the series
each and R3 of 10 ohms are in series. string of Example 2-4, how much is
How much is RT ? the
current in R3?
Series IR Voltage Drops
Series IR Voltage
Drops
With current I through a resistance, by
Ohm’s law, the voltage across R is
equal to I x R. This rule is for a string
of two resistors.
Series IR Voltage In this circuit, I is 1 A because the
applied VT of 10 V is across the total
Drops RT of 10 ohms, equal to the 4-ohms
R1 plus the 6-ohms R2. Then I is 10
V/10 ohms = 1 A.

For each IR voltage, multiply each R

by the 1 A of current in the series
circuit. Then
Series IR Voltage The IR voltage across each resistance
is called an IR drop, or a voltage
Drops drop, because it reduces the potential
difference available for the remaining
resistances in the series circuit.

Note that the symbols V1 and V2 are

used for the voltage drops across
each resistor to distinguish them from
the source VT applied across both
resistors.
Example: 2-11
In the given figure, solve for RT, I,
and the individual resistor voltage
drops.

First, find RT by adding the

individual resistance values.
Example: 2-11
In the given figure, solve for RT, I,
and the individual resistor voltage
drops.

Next, solve for the current, I.

Example: 2-11
In the given figure, solve for RT, I,
and the individual resistor voltage
drops.

Now we can solve for the individual

resistor voltage drops.
Example: 2-11
In the given figure, solve for RT, I,
and the individual resistor voltage
drops.

Now we can solve for the individual

resistor voltage drops.
Example: 2-11
In the given figure, solve for RT, I,
and the individual resistor voltage
drops.

Now we can solve for the individual

resistor voltage drops.
 Series-Aiding and
Series-Opposing Voltages
Series-Aiding and Series-aiding voltages are connected
with polarities that allow current in
Series-Opposing the same direction.

Voltages Voltages are connected series-aiding

when the plus terminal of one is
connected to the negative terminal of
the next.

They can be added for a total

equivalent voltage. This idea applies
in the same way to voltage sources,
such as batteries, and to voltage drops
across resistances.
Series-Aiding and Series-opposing voltages are
subtracted. Notice here that the
Series-Opposing positive terminals of V1 and V2 are
connected. Subtract the smaller from
Voltages the larger value, and give the net V the
polarity of the larger voltage.

If two series-opposing voltages are

equal, the net voltage will be zero. In
effect, one voltage balances out the
other. The current I also is zero,
without any net potential difference.