BASIC ELECTRONICS - OD1633 - LESSON 1/TASK 2
5.
Parallel Circuits
The discussion of electrical circuits presented up to this point has been
concerned with series circuits, in which there is only one path for the
current to flow.
There is another basic type of circuit known as the
parallel circuit. Where the series circuit has only one path for current,
the parallel circuit has more than one path for the current.
Ohm's law and Kirchhoff's law apply to all electrical circuits, but the
characteristics of a parallel circuit are different to those of a series
circuit.
a. Parallel Circuit Characteristics. A parallel circuit is defined as
one having more than one current path connected to a common voltage source.
Parallel circuits, therefore, must contain two or more resistances which are
not connected in series. An example of basic parallel circuit is shown in
figure 42.
FIGURE 42.
EXAMPLE OF A BASIC PARALLEL CIRCUIT.
Start at the voltage source (Es) and trace counterclockwise around the
circuit. Two complete and separate paths can be identified in which current
can flow. One path is traced from the source, through resistance R1, and
back to the source.
The other path is from the source, through the
resistance R2, and back to the source.
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