Series & Parallel Circuits

Series Circuits

Parallel Circuits

Series Circuits VS. Parallel Circuits Electrons only flow along one path Loads are connected in a chain to form a continuous loop All of the current in the circuit must flow through all of the loads If any of the loads were burnt out or removed, the entire circuit stops working because the current has been disrupted There are at least two independent pathways for the electrons to take Every component is connected separately in its own loop The current will flow through closed paths and not through open paths A load that is burnt out or removed will not have an effect on the other loads in the circuit

Challenge Yourself! Design a system in which one switch can turn on multiple lights! Draw both a series AND a parallel circuit diagram using conducting wires, one battery, 3 light bulbs and only one switch!

Challenge #2 Design a system in which each load is controlled independently by its own switch! Draw a parallel circuit diagram using conducting wires, one battery, 4 loads and as many switches as necessary!

Electric Current Series Circuits VS. Electrons have only 1 path to follow As you add additional loads, there are more “bumps” along the way in the electrons path As a result, the more loads you add in a series circuit, the lower the current in the circuit will be VS.

Parallel Circuits The number of paths depends on the number of loads connected in parallel A) Electrons leaving the battery have two possible paths to follow, as each of the paths has the same load (same light bulb), the current is split between the two loads Increasing the number of loads to a parallel circuit splits the current accordingly The amount of current that flows in each path is less then the current of the original path

Potential Difference Series Circuits When electrons leave the battery, they are supplied with electric potential energy When the electrons move through the circuit and pass through the first load, all of their electric potential energy is converted into heat and light energy so they return to the battery for more energy The voltage drop across one load will be the same as the voltage drop across the battery When there are two loads in a circuit, the electrons have the same amount of electric potential energy when leaving the battery that now has to be shared Only half of the energy is now being converted to heat and light energy The voltage drop across each load is now half the voltage drop across the battery

Parallel Circuits An electron that flows through any one branch of a parallel circuit is only passing through one load The voltage drop across each parallel load is the same as the voltage drop across the battery The brightness of the bulbs does not change

SUMMARY Quantity Series Circuits Parallel Circuits Current through Loads Current decreases as more loads are added Current splits among the loads based on the number of branches Voltage across the Loads Voltage splits based on the number of loads Voltage of each parallel branch is the same as the initial energy source voltage

Practice Questions for Homework Read pages 551-553 Answer questions Pg. 554 # 1, 2, 4 & 5 Pg. 575 # 3, 4