Comparing Series & Parallel Circuits (Edexcel GCSE Combined Science): Revision Note

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Series & Parallel Circuits

Current in Series & Parallel

  • In a series circuit, the current is the same at all points

  • In a parallel circuit, the current splits at junctions – some of it going one way and the rest going the other

current-series-parallel, IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

Diagram showing the behaviour of current in series and parallel circuits

Potential Difference in Series & Parallel

  • In a series circuit, the voltage of the power supply is shared between the components

  • In a parallel circuit, the voltage across each component is the same

voltage-series-parallel, IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

Diagram showing the behaviour of voltage in series and parallel circuits

Resistors in Series & Parallel

  • In a series circuit, the total resistance is the sum of the resistance in each component

    • Two resistors in series will have a larger overall resistance than just one

    • This is because the charge has to push through multiple components when flowing around the circuit

    • The more components the charge has to travel through, the higher the number of collisions that occur

  • In a parallel circuit, the total resistance decreases and is less than the resistance of any of the individual components

    • Two resistors in parallel will have a smaller overall resistance than just one

    • This is because the charge has more than one pathway to take, so only some charge will flow along each path

    • The more pathways there are, the smaller the amount of charge in each path

Series and Parallel Circuit Summary Table

Series Parallel Circuits Summary Table, downloadable IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

The Design of Series Circuits

  • A series circuit consists of a string of components connected in the same loop to a power supply

  • In a series circuit:

    • The current is the same at all points around the loop

    • The potential difference of the power supply is shared between the individual components

  • Two disadvantages of series circuits are:

    • If one of the components breaks, all of the others will stop working

    • The components cannot be controlled (switched on and off) separately

Circuit Construction, downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notes

Construction of a simple series circuit with an ammeter, voltmeter, cell and resistor

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Ashika

Author: Ashika

Expertise: Physics Content Creator

Ashika graduated with a first-class Physics degree from Manchester University and, having worked as a software engineer, focused on Physics education, creating engaging content to help students across all levels. Now an experienced GCSE and A Level Physics and Maths tutor, Ashika helps to grow and improve our Physics resources.

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