Electricity - electric circuits Flashcards
what is a series circuit
a circuit that has all its components connected on the same line as each other
what happens to the current in a series circuit
its the same at all points of the circuit
what happens to the voltage in a series circuit
the voltage across each component is different
how to calculate total resistance in a series circuit
adding up the resistance of each individual resistor: R = R1 + R2 + R3
how to calculate total voltage in a series circuit
adding up their individual voltages:
V = V1 + V2 + V3
what is a battery composed of
a set of cells in series
what happens to the potential difference in a series circuit
it is shared between various components, but they always add up to equal the source potential difference
key features of a series circuit
All components are attached in a row.
The current is equal everywhere in the circuit.
The voltage across each component is different.
The sum of the voltages across each component is the total battery voltage.
what is a parallel circuit
a circuit where components are connected on separate branches of wires to the energy source
what happens to current as it flows where the wire splits
the current also splits
key features of a parallel circuit
- total current is split between branches
- adding more resistors will lower the resistance
- if one component breaks in the circuit, the rest will continue to work
how to find total current in a parallel circuit
adding up all of the currents in the separate branches.
resistance in a parallel
The combined resistance of two resistors in parallel is less than the resistance of either of the two resistors by themselves
Resistance is like water draining out of a bucket with a hole….
Resistors in parallel are like water draining out of a bucket with a hole. If a second hole is drilled into the bucket the water (like adding another resistor in parallel) will drain
faster
faster. It does not matter how narrow the second hole is (how high its resistance is), it is always
faster
faster for water to flow through two holes instead of one
how to calculate overall resistance in a parallel circuit
1/ R (total) = 1/R1 +1/R2
