• In a series circuit:
  • The?current?is the?same?at all points ie. through each component
  • The total?potential difference?of the power supply is?shared?between the components

   

Lamps connected in a series circuit

• In the above circuit:
  • The current from the power supply is the same as the current in both lamps?I?=?I₁?=?I₂
  • If the battery is marked?12 V, then the potential difference would be 12 ÷ 2 =?6 V?across each lamp

   

• In a parallel circuit:
  • The total?current?through the whole circuit is the?sum?of the currents through the separate components
  • The?potential difference?across each component is the?same

   

Lamps connected in a parallel circuit

• In the above circuit:
  • Because the current splits up, the sum of currents in each branch will equal the current from the power supply?I?=?I₁?+?I₂
  • If the battery is marked?12 V, then the potential difference would be?12 V?across each lamp

   

Series Circuits

• A?series?circuit consists of a string of two or more components connected in a loop
• The?advantages?of a series circuit are:
  • All of the components can be controlled by a?single?switch
  • Fewer wires are required

   

• The?disadvantages?of a series circuit are:
  • The components cannot be controlled?separately
  • If one component breaks, they will all stop working as well

   

In the series circuit above, only one switch is needed to control all of the lamps. This can be seen as an advantage or as a disadvantage

Parallel Circuits

• A?parallel?circuit consists of two or more components attached across?different?branches?of the circuit
• The?advantages?of a parallel circuit are:
  • The components can be?individually?controlled, using their own switches
  • If one component breaks, then the others will continue to function

   

• The?disadvantages?of a parallel circuit are:
  • Many more wires involved so much more complicated to set up
  • All components have the same voltage as the supply, so harder to control if components need to have different voltages

   

In the parallel circuit above, the lamps are connected in parallel and can be switched on and off by their own switch