Voltage and Current in Series & Parallel Circuits

Also info on Power

What is voltage?

Voltage is the pressure in a circuit that causes electrons to flow. When there is an abundance of electrons at one end of a conductor and an abundance of protons at the other end we have something called difference of potential, Electromotive force or Voltage.

Voltage Rise vs Voltage Drop

The energy introduced to a circuit is called as voltage rise. This voltage rise comes from the power supply. A 12 Volt battery connected to a circuit gives a voltage rise of 12 Volts to the circuit.

Voltage Rise vs Voltage Drop

As energy flows through the circuit they encounter a load (some resistance to the flow of electrons). As Electrons flow through the load they give up energy. The energy given up is called a Voltage Drop. This energy is given up in most cases as heat.

Reading voltage rise/drops

To measure both the voltage rise and drops in a circuit you connect a voltmeter in parallel to the portion of the circuit you are measuring.

Voltage Rise vs. Voltage Drop

The sum of all voltage drops on a circuit is always the same value as the voltage rise in a circuit.

VRT = VDT

Voltage in Series & Parallel Circuits

In a series circuit the total voltage is equal to the voltage drops across the individual loads in the circuit. ET = ER1+ ER2 + ER3 + ER4 .. In a parallel circuit the same voltage is applied at each branch in the circuit. ET = ER1= ER2 = ER3 = ER4 ..

What is Current?

Electric current is the drift of electrons from an area of negative charge to an area of positive charge. Current is measured in Amperes (A). As previously mentioned the current in a circuit is directly related to voltage and inversely related to the resistance.

AC vs. DC

Alternating current (AC) the flow of electric charge that periodically reverses direction. An AC electric charge would move forward, then backward, then forward, then backward, over and over again. Direct current (DC) is a steady flow of electricity in one direction; it is the opposite of alternating current. Power supplies in equipment often run on AC, but convert it to DC.

Current in Series & Parallel Circuits

In a Series Circuit the same current flows throughout the circuit. IT = IR1= IR2 = IR3 = IR4 ..

In a Parallel Circuit the total current is equal to the sum of the individual branch currents in the circuit. IT = IR1+ IR2 + IR3 + IR4 ..

Measuring Current

When measuring current you must always connect the ammeter in series.

What is Power?

Power is the rate at which work is done in a circuit. This work is all about how many electrons can be moved from one place to another over a period of time. Power is a product of Voltage and Current. A Circuit uses (consumes) power to perform its task (moving electrons from one end to the other).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1WUqF9EZOQ

Power Formula

Power Consumed by Load

Power is not only used to identify how much work can be done by a circuit but also how much power will be dissipated by a resistor/lamp/LED etc When current flows through a load some of the electrons are released in the form of heat/light etc. We can use the Power formula for each part of the circuit to determine how much power is used by each component.

PR1 = IR1 x ER1