Series Circuits
Voltage and current
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In series circuits the sum of voltages is equal to the applied voltage and can be expressed as
V = V1 + V2 + ... + Vn (1)
where
V = applied voltage from the battery or source (Volts)
V1..n = voltage each resistor (Volts)
From Ohms Law
Vn = In Rn (2)
where
In = current (Amps)
Rn = resistance (Ohms)
Since in a series circuit
I1 = I2 = .. = In (3)
equation (1) can be modified to
R = R1 + R2 + .. + Rn (4)
where
R = total circuit resistance (Ohms, Ω)
Example - Series Circuit
For a 12 V car battery series circuit with three resistors 1.25 Ω, 0.5 Ω and 1.5 Ω, the total resistance can be calculated as
R = 1.0 Ω + 0.5 Ω + 1.5 Ω
= 3 Ω
The series circuit current can be calculated as
I = V / R
= 12 / 3
= 4 Amps
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Related Topics
- Electrical - Amps and electrical wiring, AWG - wire gauge, electrical formulas, motors and units
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Related Documents
- Kirchhoff's Laws - Kirchhoff's current and voltage laws
- Parallel Circuits - Resistors connected in parallel
- Potential Divider - Output voltage from a potential divider
