Series Circuits - Potential Difference
Physics: Cambridge International GCSE Supplement, topic 4.8.4
Potential Difference and E.m.f.
Total e.m.f. of energy sources = total potential difference across components.
Charges as buckets of water 1
- Think of the moving charges having energy being like people carrying buckets of water.
- In this analogy, the water represents energy, and the people represent charge.
- At the start of the journey, the buckets are filled by the energy source.
Charges as buckets of water 2
- When the people carry the buckets around the circuit they empty a little bit of water into every component that they pass.
- The people carrying the water empty water into each component so that their bucket is empty when they return to the source.
Test yourself on Series Circuits - Potential Difference
How are the voltages across components related to the e.m.f.?
What are the key features of a series circuit?
Series Circuit Analogy