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Causal Patterns in Simple Circuits Lesson 5: What Happens When Bulbs or Batteries are in Series or Parallel?
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1 There can also be a split after the wire leaves the battery.
2 Mathematically, the relationship of the resistances of individual bulbs in a circuit and the overall resistance of the entire circuit is very different for series and parallel circuits. In a series circuit, the overall resistance of the entire circuit is the sum of the resistances of each bulb in the circuit. In a parallel circuit, the overall resistance of the entire circuit is the sum of the reciprocals of the resistances of each bulb in the circuit. For a two-bulb circuit, where R1 and R2 are the resistances of the two bulbs, the resistance in the entire circuit is:
Series: Rtotal = R1 + R2
Parallel: Rtotal = 1/R1 + 1/R2