CHAPTER - 5

 Series Circuits
 Resistance in Series Circuits
 Current in Series Circuits
 Voltage in Series Circuits
 Polarity of Voltages
 Powers in Series Circuits
 Parallel Circuits
 Resistors in Parallel
 Equal Resistors in Parallel
 Resistance in Series-Parallel Circuits
 Ladder Networks
Series Circuit is defined as a
circuit in which there is
only one current path
and all components are
connected end to end
along this path.

If any component in the chain becomes

open, it interrupts the flow of current
through all the elements in the circuit.

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Two elements are in series if
1. They have only one terminal in common (i.e.,
one lead of one is connected to only one lead
of the other).
2. The common point between the two elements
is not connected to another current-carrying
element.

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The total resistance in
a series circuit is the
sum of the individual
resistances. The more RT
resistance in the
circuit, the more
opposition to current
flow. RT = R1 + R2 + R3

RT = R1 + R2 + R3 +… + RN
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 Example 1. Determine the total resistance of the
circuit shown below.

Solution:
RT = R1 + R2 + R3 + R4
= 100 k + 3300 k
+ 470 k + 97.6 k

RT = 3967.6 k
or 3.97 M

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“As the amount of resistance in a series
circuit increases, the opposition of the flow
of current must also increase”

“When the amount of resistance decreases,

the current flow will increase”

I T = I 1 = I2 = I 3 = … = I n

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 Example 2. For the circuit shown in figure below,
determine the amount of current that
will flow.
Solution:
RT = R1 + R2 + R3
= 220  + 150  + 330 
= 700 
ET
IT = I1 = I2 = I3 =
RT
24 V
=
700 
IT = 34.29 mA (Answer)

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 Voltage in Series Circuits
ET = IT RT
but :
RT = R1 + R2 + R3 + … + Rn
IT = I1 = I2 = I3 = … = In
ET = IT RT = IT(R1 + R2 + R3 + … + Rn)
= ITR1 + ITR2 + ITR3 + … + ITRn)

ET = I1R1 + I2R2 + I3R3 + … + InRn

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 Voltage in Series Circuits

ET = I1R1 + I2R2 + I3R3 + … + InRn

V1 = I1R1; V2 = I2R2 ; V3 = I3R3 ; Vn = InRn

ET = VT = V1 + V2 + V3 + … + Vn

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 Example 3. A series circuit consisting of four resistors
has the following values R1 = 2.2 k, R2 = 3.3
k, R3 = 4.7 k and R4 = 5.6 k. If the voltage
drop across R2 is 8.5 V, what is the total voltage
of the circuit?
Solution:
VR2 8.5 V
IT = I2 = = = 2.58 mA
R2 3.3 k
RT = R1 + R2 + R3 + R4
= 2.2 k + 3.3 k + 4.7 k + 5.6 k
RT = 15.8 k
E = V = I R = (2.58 mA) (15.8 k )
T T T T

ET = VT = 40.76 V (Answer)
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Polarity of Voltages
A source of emf is called an active circuit element,
because it generates electric energy. Passive circuit
elements consume electric energy.
The polarity of voltage sources is extremely important
in situations where more than one source is used in a
circuit.
+
+ R1
_
IT ET +
_
R2
_
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Example 4. For the series circuit shown in figure below, find the
following quantities:
a. Total resistance, RT.
b. Circuit current, I.
c. Voltage across each resistor.
d. Power dissipated by each resistor.
e. Power delivered to the circuit by the voltage source.
f. Verify that the power dissipated by the resistors is equal to
the power delivered to the circuit by the voltage source.

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Two elements, branches, or networks are in
parallel if they have two points in common.

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 The basic idea of a "parallel"
connection, is that all components are
connected across each other's leads.

The defining characteristic of a

parallel circuit is that all components
are connected between the same set
of electrically common points.
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Different ways in which three parallel elements
may appear

There are many paths for electrons to flow,

but only one voltage across all
components
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A "branch" in a parallel circuit is a path for
electric current formed by one of the load
components (such as a resistor).

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RESISTORS IN PARALLEL

KIRCHHOFF’S VOLTAGE LAW:

The voltage across all parallel elements in

a circuit will be the same
VR1 = VR2 = VR3 = E

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The equivalent resistance, RT, is the effective resistance
“seen” by the source and determines the total current,
IT, provided to the circuit
KIRCHHOFF’S CURRENT LAW:
IT = I1 + I2 + … + In

Since conductance was defined as the reciprocal of

resistance, we may write the above equation in terms of
conductance

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EXAMPLE 5. Determine the conductance and
resistance of the network of figure below.

Solution: The total conductance is

The total resistance is

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n EQUAL RESISTORS IN PARALLEL

The total resistance is now easily determined

as

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EXAMPLE 6. For the network of Figure below,
calculate the total resistance.

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ITotal  I1  I2  I3  ...  IN

ETotal  V1  V2  V3  ...  VN
1
R 
Total 1 1 1
  ... 
R R R
1 2 N
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P  P1  P2  P3  ...  PN
Total

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 Components in a parallel circuit share
the same voltage.
 Total resistance in a parallel circuit is
less than any of the individual
resistances.
 Total current in a parallel circuit is equal
to the sum of the individual branch
currents.

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The individual-resistor currents are inversely
proportional to their respective magnitudes.

I x Ry I 2 R3
 
I y Rx
I 3 R2
I1 R2

I 2 R1
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Calculate the total resistance of the three
resistor, R1= 39 Ω, R2 = 47 Ω and R3 = 56 Ω
connected in parallel.

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 1
R 
Total 1 1 1
 
R R R
1 2 3
1
R 
Total 1 1 1
 
39 47 56

R  15.44 Answer
Total

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Three loads, A, B and C are connected in
parallel to a 230-V source. Load A takes
9.2kW, load B takes a current of 60 A, and
load C is a resistance of 4.6 Ω. Calculate (a)
the resistances of loads A and B, (b) the
total equivalent resistance of the three
paralleled loads, (c) the total current and (d)
the total power.

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  230 
2 2
E
(a) RA    5.75 
PA 9, 200
E 230
RB    3.83 
IB 60
1
(b) R   1.53 
eq 1 1 1
 
5.75 3.83 4.6

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 E 230
(c) I T    150 Amp
RT 1.53

PA 9, 200
Also I A    40 Amp
E 230
E 230
and I C    50 Amp
RC 4.6
Therefore
I I I I
T A B C
I  40  60  50  150 Amp
T

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(d) PT  PA  PB  PC
2
E
 PA  EB I B  C

RC
 230 
2

PT  9, 200   230  60  
4.6
PT  34, 500 watts  34.5 kW
Also PT  ET IT   230  150 
PT  34, 500 watts  34.5 kW
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A coil of wire having a resistance of 3.84 Ω and
carrying a current of 0.15 A is in parallel with
an unknown resistance through which there
is a current of 1.44 A. Calculate the (a)
unknown resistance, and (b) the total
equivalent resistance.

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 R2  I1   I1 
(a)    R2  R1   
R1  I2   I2 
 0.15 
R2  3.84     0.4 
 1.44 
 R1 R2  3.84  0.4
(b) Req  
 R1  R2  3.84  0.4
Req  0.362 

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• Circuits that contain both series and
parallel combinations
• It may be defined as a network in
which some portions of the circuit
have the characteristics of a simple
series circuit and other portions have
the characteristics of a simple
parallel circuit.
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Series-Parallel circuit – a
combinational circuit which when
simplified will result into a series
circuit.

Parallel-Series circuit – a
combinational circuit which when
simplified will result into a parallel
circuit.
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• We immediately recognize that
the resistors R2, R3, and R4 are in
parallel.
• This parallel combination is in
series with the resistors R1 and
R5.
• The total resistance may now be
written as follows:

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 To analyze a series-parallel combination
circuit, follow these steps:
1.Reduce the original circuit to a single
equivalent resistor, re-drawing the circuit in
each step of reduction as simple series and
simple parallel parts are reduced to single,
equivalent resistors.
2. Solve for total resistance.
3. Solve for total current (I=E/R).
4. Determine equivalent resistor voltage drops
and branch currents one stage at a time,
working backwards to the original circuit
configuration again.

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Reminders:
1. The same current occurs through all series
elements.
2. The same voltage occurs across all parallel
elements.
3. Remember that Kirchhoff’s voltage law and
Kirchhoff’s current law apply for all circuits
regardless of whether the circuits are series,
parallel, or series-parallel
4. Use Ohm’s Law if necessary.

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EXAMPLE 10. Consider the circuit of figure below

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Solution:
 By examining the circuit, we see that resistors R2
and R3 are in parallel.
 This parallel combination is in series with the
resistor R1.

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• The current I1 will enter node b and then split between the
two resistors R2 and R3.
• This current divider may be simplified as shown in the
partial circuit below.

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Applying the current divider rule to these two
resistors gives

c. Using the above currents and Ohm’s law, we

determine the voltages:

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 A three-section ladder network appears in Figure
below.

 Basically two approaches are used to solve

networks of this type.

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Method 1:
Calculate the total resistance and
resulting source current, and then work back
through the ladder until the desired current or
voltage is obtained. This method is now
employed to determine V6

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Combining parallel and series elements as
shown in Figure above will result in the
reduced network of Figure below

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Working our way back to I6 (Figure below), we
find that

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and, finally;

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Method 2:
 Assign a letter symbol to the last branch current and
work back through the network to the source,
maintaining this assigned current or other current of
interest.
 The desired current can then be found directly.
 This method can best be described through the
analysis of the same network considered above in
Figure of previous example, redrawn in Figure below.

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The assigned notation for the current through
the final branch is I6:

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