5.72. Series and Parallel Circuits http://www.ck12.org
5.72 Series and Parallel Circuits
- Describe a series circuit.
- Explain how a parallel circuit differs from a series circuit.
Only a licensed professional electrician like this one is qualified to install or repair the electrical system inside a
home. It’s a complicated system that consists of a maze of electric circuits.
One Loop or Two?
An electric circuit consists of at least one closed loop through which electric current can flow. Every circuit has a
voltage source such as a battery and a conductor such as metal wire. A circuit may have other parts as well, such as
lights and switches. In addition, a circuit may consist of one loop or two loops.
Series Circuit
A circuit that consists of one loop is called aseries circuit. You can see a simple series circuit below. If a series
circuit is interrupted at any point in its single loop, no current can flow through the circuit and no devices in the
circuit will work. In the series circuit below, if one light bulb burns out, the other light bulb won’t work because it
won’t receive any current. Series circuits are commonly used in flashlights. You can see an animation of a series
circuit at this URL: http://regentsprep.org/regents/physics/phys03/bsercir/default.htm