Series vs. Parallel Circuits - help11

Wiring two or more devices together in a circuit can be done in a variety of ways. The two most common ways are to wire the devices in a series circuit or as a parallel circuit. Whether the devices are in a series or a parallel arrangement affects the properties that the circuit would exhibit.

Series Circuits are characterized by a single pathway from the + to the - terminal of the battery. The bulbs are arranged in a consecutive fashion such that any charge that passes through the first bulb will also have to pass through the second and the third bulb. Charge is conceived as circulating through the circuit together with the same flow rate everywhere within that circuit. The flow rate or current in the first bulb is identical to the flow rate in any of the other bulbs, regardless of the resistance of those other bulbs. The saying that current is everywhere the same is an applicable description for a series circuit.

Parallel circuits are quite different because the bulbs are all placed in an individual branch with each branch operating independent of the others. The current in a branch is not affected by anything that is present in the other branches. The current in a branch of a parallel circuit depends on the amount of battery voltage and the resistance of the light bulb in the branch. Larger resistance bulbs will hinder the flow through a branch and reduce the current in that branch.