Circuits
A Circuit is defined as a closed loop path of which an electric current flows. A source of electricity, such as a battery, provides electrical energy in the circuit. Unless the circuit is complete, that is, making a full circle back to the electrical source, no electrons will move. There are two main types of circuits: Series and Parallel, below we explore more into these two types of circuits and what makes them different.
Series Circuit
Series Circuits have only one path for charges to flow through them, Current flows through every part of the circuit. Some of the things that make Series Circuits different from Parallel Circuits include:
- Voltage may be different
- Current is the same
- Sum of the individual voltages = source voltage
- If one "goes out", they all "go out"
Maybe the most common example of a series circuit in the home is a switch and the light that it turns on and off. When the switch is closed so that the light is on, electric current flows from the main house panel through the line wire (usually black) to the switch, through the switch, and on to the light fixture (still in a black wire). At the light fixture the current runs into the center terminal of the light bulb, up to and through the filament and then back down to the screw base terminal and back to the light fixture into a white wire. Finally the current follows the white wire (usually right alongside the black wire, in a common jacket) all the way back to the breaker panel's neutral terminal to complete the circuit. Since the current must first flow through the switch to get to the light bulb, we say that the switch and the bulb are in series, or that they form a series circuit. That's how the switch actually does its job: when you turn it to the off position, it no longer lets the current flow through so that the current can no longer get to the light bulb and the light blub turns off.
Parallel Circuit
Parallel Circuits has two or more paths for changes to move. Some of the things that make Parallel Circuits different from Series Circuits include:
- Voltage is the same
- current may vary
- sum of the individual currents = source current
- If one "goes out", the others "stay lit."
A good example would be a number of electrical outlets wired to a single circuit breaker. The receptacles are said to be wired in parallel. If you plug in a toaster, a lamp, and a hair dryer, they would all receive the same voltage from the breaker.Unplugging the toaster would not affect the other two appliances. This is one of the main attributes of a parallel circuit.