Question

Explain series and parallel circuit.[4 marks]

Answer 1

Series Circuit: [ 2 marks]

1. A series circuit is one that has more than one resistor (bulb) but only one path through which the electrons can travel.
2. From one end of the battery the electrons move along one pathwith no branches through the resistors (bulbs) to the other end of the cell.
3. All the components in a series circuit are connected end to end.
4. So, current through the circuit remains same throughout the circuit.
5. But, the voltage gets divided across the bulbs in the circuit.
6. In the following series circuit two bulbs are used as resistors.
7. Let I be the current through the circuit and V₁ V₂, V₃ be the voltage across each bulb.
8. The supply voltage V is the total of the individual voltage drops across the resistances. V = V₁ + V₂ + V₃

Parallel Circuit: [ 2 marks]

1. In a parallel circuit, there is more than one resistor (bulb) and they are arranged on many paths.
2. This means charges (electrons) can travel from one end of the cell through many branches to the other end of the cell.
3. Here, voltage across the resistors (bulbs) remains the same but the current flowing through the circuit gets divided across each resistor.
4. Let us consider three bulbs connected in series.
5. Let V be the voltage across the bulbs and I₁, I₂, I₃ be the current across each bulb.
6. The current I from the battery is the total of the individual current flowing through the resistances. I = I₁ + I₂ + I₃