How to Solve Parallel Circuits

Solving parallel circuits is an easy process once you know the basic formulas and principles. When two or more resistors are connected side by side the current can "choose" it's path.

After reading these steps you should be able to find the voltage, current and resistance between two or more resistors in parallel.

Cheat Sheet:

• Total resistance R_T for resistors in parallel: ¹/_RT = ¹/_R1 + ¹/_R2 + ¹/_R3 + ...
• Voltage is always the same across branches: V_T = V₁ = V₂ = V₃ = ...
• Total current I_T = I₁ + I₂ + I₃ + ...
• Ohm's Law: V = IR

                                                    

PARALLEL AND SERIES CIRCUITS.

Components of an electrical circuit or electronic circuits can be connected in many differents ways. The two simplest of these are called seriesand parallel.


In a series circuit, the current that flows through each of the components is the same, and the voltage across the circuit is the sum of the individual voltage drops across each component.In a series circuit, every device must function for the circuit to be complete. If one bulb burns out in a series circuit, the entire circuit is broken.

In a parallel circuit, the voltage across each of the components is the same, and the total current is the sum of the currents flowing through each component.In parallel circuits, each light bulb has its own circuit, so all but one light could be burned out, and the last one will still function.

Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. In early days, electricity was considered as being not related to magnetism.

Various common phenomena are related to electricity, including lighthing, static electicity, electric heating, electric dischargues and many others.

The presence of an electric charge, which can be either positive or negative, produces an electric field. The movement of electric chargues is an electric current and produces a magnetic field.

Electricity is at the heart of many modern technologies, being used for:

• electric power where electric current is used to energise equipment;
• electronics which deals with electrical circuits that involve active electrical components such as vacum tubes,transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies.

         


                                     

An electric circuit is a path in which electrons from a voltage or current source flow.

The point where those electrons enter an electrical circuit is called the "source" of electrons. The point where the electrons leave an electrical circuit is called the "return" or "earth ground". The exit point is called the "return" because electrons always end up at the source when they complete the path of an electrical circuit.

Electronic circuits -usually use direct current sources. The load of an electronic circuit may be as simple as a few resistors, capacitors, and a lamp, all connected together to create the flash in a camera. Or an electronic circuit can be complicated, connecting thousands of resistors, capacitors, and transistors. It may be an integrated circuit such as the microprocessor in a computer.

Resistors and other circuit elements can be connected in series or in parallel. Resistance in series circuits is the sum of the resistance.