What
is a Parallel Circuit?
The elements of a
parallel circuit are connected
so that each component has the same voltage
across its terminals; the current flow is
divided among its parts as shown in Figure
10.1.
When circuit elements are
connected in parallel, the total resistance
is less than that of the element having
the least resistance, and the total current
is equal to the sum of the currents in the
individual branches.
Figure 10.1 A parallel circuit
There are several
methods used to determine the total equivalent
resistance of parallel circuits.
-
An easy method of finding equivalent
resistance is to use the general formula
for resistors in parallel.
-
This is accomplished by adding up the
reciprocals of the resistance values,
and then taking the reciprocal of the
total resistance of a set of resistors
in parallel:
The total power is equal
to the sum of the power dissipated by the
individual resistors, just like the series
circuit.
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