How to Solve a Series and Parallel Circuit With One Power Supply
Studying a circuit diagram to determine how electricity will flow through a circuit is one of the most basic skills of electrical engineering. A series circuit has only one path for electricity to flow, whereas a parallel circuit has multiple paths. If you know whether you're dealing with a series circuit or a parallel circuit and know the voltage supplied to the circuit, you can use Ohm's Law to determine how much current will flow.
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Instructions
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Series Circuit
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1
Look for the voltage measurement on the diagram. For example, assume you have a 6-volt DC circuit.
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2
Look for all resistors on the circuit. Resistors are indicated by zig-zag lines and labeled with the ohm rating. For example, assume you have a 2-ohm, a 4-ohm and a 6-ohm resistor on this circuit.
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3
Add the values of the resistors. These three resistors provide a total resistance of 12 ohms.
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4
Divide the voltage by the resistance to determine the current: 6 divided by 12 is 0.5; this series circuit has a current of 0.5 amperes per Ohm's Law.
Parallel Circuit
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5
Locate the power supply. In this example, assume a 20-volt DC circuit.
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6
Locate the resistors on the diagram and take the reciprocal of each value. For example, a 2-ohm, a 5-ohm and a 6-ohm resistor have reciprocals of 0.5, 0.2, and 0.167.
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7
Add these values to determine the total resistance. This parallel circuit has a total resistance of 0.867 ohms.
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8
Use Ohm's Law to determine the current: 20 volts divided by 0.867 ohms equals 23.06 amperes.
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1
Tips & Warnings
You can use these methods to calculate current along a circuit including both series and parallel elements.
