# Series Circuits-All or Nothing

* In series circuits, the different components are **connected** in a line, end to end, between the +ve and -ve of the power supply(except for voltmeters, which are always connected in parallel, but they don’t count as part of the circuit).
* If you remove or disconnect one component, the circuit is **broken** and they all stop. This is generally not very handy, and in practice very **few** things are connected in series
* You can use the following rules to design series circuits to measure quantities and test components

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# Potential Difference is Shared

In series circuits the total pd of the supply is shared between the various components. So the potential difference round a series circuit always **add** up to **equal** the **source** pd:

V(total) = V1 + V2 +…

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# Current is the same everywhere

In series circuits the **same** current **flows** through **all** components: R(total) = R1 + R2

The size of the current is determined by the total pd of the cells and the total resistance of the circuit

I = V / R

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# Resistance Adds Up

In series circuits the total resistance of **two components** is just the sum of their resistance. This is because by adding a resistor in series, the two resistors have to **share** the total pd. The potential difference across each resistor is **lower**, so the current through each resistor is also lower. In a series circuit, the current is the same **everywhere** so the total current in the circuit is reduced when a resistor is added. This means the total resistance of the circuit **increases**. The bigger a component’s resistance, the bigger its **share** of the total potential difference

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# Cell Potential Difference Adds Up

There is a **bigger** pd when more cells are in series, if they’re all **connected** the same way. For example when two cells with a **potential difference** of 1.5V are connected in series they supply 3V between them.

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Physics

# Series Circuits-All or Nothing

* In series circuits, the different components are **connected** in a line, end to end, between the +ve and -ve of the power supply(except for voltmeters, which are always connected in parallel, but they don’t count as part of the circuit).
* If you remove or discon

Series Circuits

lauren

View the note Series Circuits: Series Circuits-All or NothingIn series circuits, the different components are connected in a line, end to end, between the +ve and -ve of the power supply(except for voltmeters, which are always connected in parallel, but they don’t count as part of the circuit).If yo...