P3.6 Series Circuits

• What is a common point of confusion in exams regarding circuits?

  The differences between series and parallel circuits
• How are components connected in a series circuit?

  All components are connected one after the other
• What is the structure of a parallel circuit?

  It contains more than one loop
• How does the configuration of circuits affect measurements?

  It changes how we measure current, voltage, and resistance
• What happens if one component in a series circuit is disconnected?

  The whole circuit will stop working
• Why are very few things connected in series?

  Because of the downside of disconnection
• How is the potential difference shared in a series circuit?

  It is shared across all components
• If a battery has a potential difference of 12 volts, what must the total voltage across two lamps add up to?

  12 volts
• If one lamp in a series circuit measures 8 volts, what is the voltage across the other lamp?

  4 volts
• What happens if both lamps in a series circuit are identical?

  Each lamp gets 6 volts
• How is current measured in a circuit?

  Using an ammeter
• Where should an ammeter be placed in a series circuit?

  In series within the main loop
• How can we calculate current in a series circuit?

  By dividing total potential difference by total resistance
• What is the total resistance in a series circuit?

  The sum of individual resistances
• If one lamp has a resistance of 4 ohms and another has 2 ohms, what is the total resistance?

  6 ohms
• How do you calculate the current if the battery has 12 volts and total resistance is 6 ohms?

  2 amps
• Why can we ignore the resistance of ammeters in calculations?

  They generally have tiny resistances
• How do you find the voltage across a single component in a circuit?

  Using current and resistance with Ohm's law
• If the current is 2 amps and the resistance is 2 ohms, what is the voltage across that component?

  4 volts
• How can you find the voltage across a component without calculations?

  Using a voltmeter connected in parallel
• What is the relationship between resistance and voltage share in a circuit?

  Higher resistance gets a higher share of voltage
• Why does a 4 ohm resistor have a higher voltage than a 2 ohm resistor?

  More force is required to push charge through
• What are the key characteristics of series circuits?

  • Single loop connection
  • Components connected one after the other
  • Current is the same throughout
  • Total voltage is shared among components
  • If one component fails, the entire circuit stops
• What are the key characteristics of parallel circuits?

  • Multiple loops
  • Voltage is the same across each loop
  • If one component fails, others continue to work
  • Total current is the sum of currents through each branch
• What is a series circuit?


  A series circuit is a circuit which all the components are in the same loop.

  
• What happens to the potential difference in series circuit?


  Its shared across all the components.
• How do you find the total resistance of a series circuit?

  Add together the resistance of each component in the circuit.
• What happens to current in a series circuit?


  Current is the same for every component in a series circuit.
• What is Ohm's Law?


  Ohm's law describes the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance:

  V=IR
• In a series circuit, do the components with the largest resistance get the largest or smallest share of the potential difference?


  In a series circuit, components with the largest resistance get the largest share of the potential difference.
• What is the main advantage of a series circuit?


  Series circuits are simple to set up.
• What is the main disadvantage of a series circuit?


  If any single component breaks, the whole circuit will stop working.