3.4.6

Series Circuits

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Series Circuits

If a circuit is set up as a series circuit it will be set up as one continuous loop.

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Series circuits

  • In a series circuit, components are added in a loop.
  • There are no branches in a series circuit.
  • For the components to work, the circuit must be complete.
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Bulbs in a series circuit

  • The more bulbs you add in a series circuit the dimmer they will be.
  • The more cells you add the brighter the bulbs will be.
  • If there are two or more bulbs in a series circuit and one bulb breaks, the circuit will be broken and current will not flow.
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Current in series circuits

  • Current in a series circuit remains the same everywhere in the circuit.
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Potential difference in series

  • Potential difference is shared with all the components in the series circuit.
  • The total potential difference of the components will equal that of the cell or battery.

Parallel Circuits

If a circuit is set up as a parallel circuit it will be set up with branches.

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Parallel circuits

  • Parallel circuits have branches.
  • The branches form different loops in which current can flow.
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Bulbs in parallel circuits

  • If one bulb breaks in a parallel circuit the other bulbs will remain on.
  • If you add more bulbs to different branches the other bulbs will not get dimmer.
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Current in parallel circuits

  • The current is split among the circuit's branches.
  • If there were two branches each with a bulb they would each share half the current that was originally in the circuit.
  • The current will be the same at the start and end of the circuit.
Illustrative background for Potential difference in parallel circuitsIllustrative background for Potential difference in parallel circuits ?? "content

Potential difference in parallel circuits

  • The potential difference across the different components is equal to that of the cell or battery.
  • If there were two branches each with a bulb they would each have the same potential difference as the cell or battery.

Resistance

If you resist something, you try to fight against it and stop it happening. Resistance happens in electrical circuits when a component resists the flow of current.

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Resistance

  • Most conductors will restrict the flow of current in a circuit.
  • If you want less current to flow, you can increase the resistance.
  • There is more resistance in a wire if:
    • The wire is longer.
    • The wire is thinner.
  • Insulators will have a very high resistance so a current will not flow through them.
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Tasers

  • Some UK Police Officers carry a taser – this is used as a non-lethal method of restraining a violent person.
  • The taser can deliver a potential difference of 50,000 V.
  • However this is not deadly as the high resistance ensures it only delivers a very small current (around 0.002 A), just enough to make the suspects muscles relax.
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Calculation

  • Resistance is measured in ohms.
  • The symbol for ohms is the Greek omega symbol (Ω).
  • Resistance can be calculated using the equation:
    • Resistance (Ω) = potential difference (V) ÷ current (A)
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Ohm's law

  • A resistor is said to follow Ohm's law if:
  • The current that flows through it is directly proportional to the potential difference.
  • This means if you double the potential difference the current will also double.
  • A directly proportional relationship when you draw it on a graph is a straight line through the origin.

Jump to other topics

1Biology

1.1Cells, Tissues & Organs

1.2Reproduction & Variation

1.3Ecological Relationships & Classification

1.4Digestion & Nutrition

1.5Plants & Photosynthesis

1.6Biological Systems & Processes

2Chemistry

2.1Particles

2.2Chemical Reactions

2.3Atoms, Elements, Compounds

2.4The Periodic Table

2.5Materials & the Earth

2.6Reactivity

2.7Energetics

2.8Properties of Materials

3Physics

3.1Energy

3.2Forces & Motion

3.3Waves

3.4Electricity & Magnetism

3.5Matter

3.6Space Physics

4Thinking Scientifically

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