Electrical networks and two-terminal components can be linked either serially or parallelly. The electrical network that results will have two terminals and be capable of operating in either a series or parallel topology. It depends on your point of view whether a two-terminal “thing” is an electrical network (like resistors connected in series) or an electrical component (like a resistor). In this article, a two-terminal “thing” that participates in series/parallel networks will be referred to as a “component.”
Each component connected in series travels the same “electrical path” and carries the same amount of current—equal to the network’s current—through it. The total of the voltages across each component makes up the voltage throughout the network.
Each component in a parallel connection is connected via a different path, and the voltage across each component is the same as the voltage across the network. The sum of the currents flowing through each component makes up the network’s total current.
With the exception of the roles of voltage and current being reversed, the two previous assertions are equivalent.
A series circuit is one with all of its components connected in series, whereas a parallel circuit is one with all of its components connected in parallel. Numerous circuits can be broken down into combinations of parallel and series circuits as well as other configurations.
In a series circuit, the voltage across the circuit is the total of the individual voltage drops across each component, and the current flowing through each component is the same. The voltage across each component in a parallel circuit is the same, and the total current is the sum of the currents flowing through all of the components.
Think about a very basic circuit that consists of a 12-volt car battery and four light bulbs. The bulbs are said to be in series if a wire connects the battery to one bulb, the next bulb, the next bulb, and then back to the battery in one continuous loop.
The term “parallel” refers to wiring each bulb in a separate loop to the battery. The four light bulbs may not be able to glow if they are linked in series since the same current passes through each one and there is a 3-volt voltage drop across each bulb. If the light bulbs are wired in parallel, the currents flowing through them combine to provide the battery’s current, while the voltage drop across each bulb is 12 volts, and they all shine.
Each component in a series circuit needs to be operational for the circuit to be complete. In a series circuit, if one bulb burns out, the circuit as a whole is destroyed. Each light bulb in a parallel circuit has its own circuit, so even if all but one of them burn out, the remaining one will still work.
