series & parallel circuits Flashcards
which components are always connected in parallel?
voltmeter
series circuit
a circuit where the different components are connected in a line, end to end between the +ve and -ve of the power supply
what happens if one component is removed or disconnected in a series circuit?
the circuit is broken
cell potential difference in a series circuit
increases when more cells are connected in series-the pd adds up
total potential difference in a series circuit
total pd of the supply is shared between the components
V=V₁ + V₂
current in a series circuit
the same current flows through all components I₁=I₂
resistance in a series circuit
resistance adds up- the total resistance of two components is the sum of the resistance of each component
R=R₁ + R₂
why does resistance add up?-series
by adding a resistor, the two resistors have to share the total pd
why is current reduced with more resistors?-series
pd across each resistor is lower so the current through each resistor is also lower, current is the same everywhere so the total current is reduced and resistance increases
a bigger resistance
a bigger share of total pd
parallel circuit
each component is separately connected to the +ve and -ve of the supply
which component is always connected in series?
ammeter
what happens if you remove or disconnect a component?-parallel
it will hardly affect the others
potential difference in parallel
it is the same across all components V₁=V₂…
current in parallel
- total current through the whole circuit is the sum of the
currents through the separate components, shared across branches - It= I1 + I2 + …
