How Resistors Work in Parallel Circuits

Video Transcript

" Hello! This is Ross on behalf of the expertvillage.com. Let us talk about parallel circuits. With resistors in parallel, the resistance is actually reduced, instead increased because there are two paths for current to flow. So this resistor I am taking out of the circuit that was there in series and now I am going to take it and combine it like this. If I actually measure the resistance from point A to point B here it will be less. As a matter of fact, we could go ahead and do that. I am going to turn the power off to the circuit, I am going to hook the resistors up together, now I am going to hook up my probe up here, I am going to change my resistance reading, change it from voltage and I am going to set it up for resistance now and we will go ahead and measure it 94 ohms. Now I am going to pull out the other resistor, 184 ohms. So 90+90 is about 180, but they cut into half they are same resistors so they should be about half. So resistance is reduced when you put them in parallel and in series they increase. If the resistance is reduced what you think will happen to the current flow, well that will increase. This LED can only handle so much current before it burns out. If I add this other resistor it may just burn out. Right now we will find out. I am going to connect it in here. It will get brighter. It did get brighter, but did not burn out that is good. We did not exceed its current limit and so this LED is brighter. What is happening is that there are two paths for current to flow. So even though it is being resisted there is another path that is resisted also, but they combine to allow more current to flow through. "