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series and parallel
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Series
circuit
All components are in the same
loop
Adding
components
to
a
series
circuit
Put them in the same
loop
of
wire
Series
circuit
Not very
useful
because if one component
breaks
,
none
of
the
other
components
work
Parallel
circuit
Components are in
different
loops which we call
branches
Adding
components
to a parallel circuit
Add a
second
loop of wire and put the component in its own
branch
Parallel
circuit
If one
component
in one
branch
breaks
, the components in the other
branches
will still
work
Controlling
components
in a parallel circuit
Put a
switch
in each
branch
to turn
components
on
or
off
Current
in a
series
circuit
The current is the
same
everywhere in the
circuit
Current
in a
parallel
circuit
The
current
is
shared
between the
branches
Changing components in a series circuit
The current may be different, but the rule is the
same
- the current is the
same
everywhere in the circuit
Changing components in a parallel circuit
The current is shared unequally between the branches, but the total current is the
sum
of the
branch currents
Potential difference in a series circuit
The potential difference is
shared
between
components
Potential difference in a series circuit with different components
The potential difference may be shared
unequally
, but the total will equal the potential difference of the cell/battery
Potential difference in a parallel circuit
The potential difference across each component is the
same
as the
potential difference
across the cell/battery