Series Circuit
•Series Circuit
A series circuit is one with all the loads in a row. There is only ONE path for the electricity to flow. If this circuit was a string of light bulbs, and one blew out, the remaining bulbs would turn off. |
Voltage Drops
Before we go any further let's define what a "voltage drop" is. A voltage drop is the amount the voltage lowers when crossing a component from the negative side to the positive side in a series circuit. If you placed a multimeter across a resistor, the voltage drop would be the amount of voltage you are reading. This is pictured with the red arrow in the diagram. |
![Picture](/uploads/1/0/1/0/101082476/1_1_orig.jpg)
.The same current flows through each part of a series circuit.
In a series circuit, the amperage at any point in the circuit is the same. This will help in calculating circuit values using Ohm's Law.
You will notice from the diagram that 1 amp continually flows through the circuit. We will get to the calculations in a moment.
In a series circuit, the amperage at any point in the circuit is the same. This will help in calculating circuit values using Ohm's Law.
You will notice from the diagram that 1 amp continually flows through the circuit. We will get to the calculations in a moment.
![Picture](/uploads/1/0/1/0/101082476/470669-6ad87e8559eb42ad9b17b78e803ba5d7-mv2_orig.gif)
Say a battery is supplying 12 volts to a circuit of two resistors; each having a value of 5 Ohms. According to the previous rules we figure out the total resistance.:
- RT = R1 + R2 = 5 + 5 = 10 Ohms
- I = V / RT = 12V / 10 Ohms = 1.2 Amp
- V1 = 1.2A x 5 Ohms = 6 V
- V2 = 1.2A x 5 Ohms = 6V
The total resistance of a series circuit is equal to the sum of individual resistances.
In a series circuit you will need to calculate the total resistance of the circuit in order to figure out the amperage. This is done by adding up the individual values of each component in series. In this example we have three resistors. To calculate the total resistance we use the formula:
|
![Picture](/uploads/1/0/1/0/101082476/470669-4b959740e1154fc48083f336e3d30eff-mv2_orig.png)
Voltage applied to a series circuit is equal to the sum of the individual voltage drops.
This simply means that the voltage drops have to add up to the voltage coming from the battey or batteries.
This simply means that the voltage drops have to add up to the voltage coming from the battey or batteries.
- V total = V1 + V2 + V3 ...
- 6V + 6V = 12V.