Series circuits Vs Parallel circuits
Series circuits and parallel circuits are two very basic types of circuits found in electronics and electrical engineering. Any circuit can be divided into elementary series circuits and parallel circuits. The ideas of series circuits and parallel circuits are very important in fields such as electronics, electrical engineering, physics, robotics, instrumentation and data acquisition, and any other field that has uses for electrical and electronic circuits.
In this article, we are going to discuss what series circuits and parallel circuits are, their definitions, the similarities between series circuits and parallel circuits, the application of series circuits and parallel circuits, and finally the difference between series circuits and parallel circuits ..
Series circuit Definition
A series circuit is one of the simplest forms of circuits available for circuit analysis. A purely series circuit is a circuit in which each of the components is connected to a single current-carrying cable.
Properties of Series Circuit:
- The amount of current through each element is the same.
- The voltage difference between the nodes of each element may differ depending on the resistance or impedance of the device.
- The sum of the voltages between each component of the circuit is equal to the voltage between the two ends of the circuit.
- If any of the components has more than two nodes, the circuit is not a pure series circuit. If a series circuit contains a capacitor, no direct current can pass through the circuit.
- In the event that components of the active circuit are present in the circuit, the current flowing in the circuit depends on the voltage and frequency of the voltage source. This is due to the change in impedance of the active components due to the frequency of the voltage signal.
Parallel circuit Definition
A parallel circuit is also one of the most fundamental circuits available in circuit analysis. In a purely parallel circuit, the voltage difference between each element is the same.
Properties of Parallel circuit
- The two nodes of each element are connected to each other. The total voltage between the nodes of the circuit is equal to the voltage between the nodes of each element.
- The total current through the circuit is equal to the sum of the currents that flow through each element.
- If any of the components are active components of the circuit, the total current through those elements may vary depending on the frequency of the voltage signal.
- If any of the components in a parallel circuit is a component with a set of other components configured in serial mode, the circuit is not a completely parallel circuit.
Difference between series circuit and parallel circuit?
The voltage between each of the components is equal to the total voltage in a parallel circuit while, in a series circuit, the current through each of the components is equal to the total current.
In a series circuit, the voltage between the nodes of each element depends on the resistance or impedance of the circuit. In a parallel circuit, the current through each element depends on the element’s impedance or resistance.
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