Series Circuits

• • in a series circuit, electricity has only one path to follow.
  • series circuits consist of a string of components, connected along the same pathway with no branches.
  • if one part of a series is removed, the circuit becomes incomplete or open, and the current stops flowing.
  • the more bulbs you add to the circuit, the dimmer the light will be.
• Current in Series:

  • current is the same across each device in a circuit.
  • this does not change, no matter how many components are added to the circuit.
• Series & Current:

  • the current in a series circuit depends on the number of cells.
  • the more cells/batteries added, the greater the current.
• Voltage in series:

  • the supply voltage is shared between components in a series circuit.
  • the sum of the voltages across all components in a series circuit = the supply voltage.
• Voltage in series:

  • The voltage across each of the components in series is in the same proportion as their resistance.
  • if two identical components are connected in series, the supply voltage divides equally across them.

  
• Benefits of series circuits:

  • uses less amount of wires
  • gives you a warning that one of the components in the circuit has failed.
• If one bulb in a series circuit blows, the other bulbs will not glow.
• In series circuits, devices are linked together in a row.
• In series circuits, voltage is shared across devices.
• In series circuits, the same amount of current flows through each device.
• Increasing the number of bulbs in a series circuit causes bulbs to dim
• The equation to calculate the total resistance of the circuit:

  $RT=$$\ R1+$$R2+$$R3...$
• In series circuits, as you increase the number of electrical devices, you decrease the voltage that flows across each device.
• The total current of a series circuit doesn't change as you increase the number of electrical devices.
• As you increase the number of resistors in a series circuit, the total resistance of the circuit increases.
• The equation used to calculate the total current for a series circuit:

  IT=I1=I2=I3
• The equation used to calculate the total voltage of a series circuit:

  VT=V1=V2=V3