Physics Notes
Electric Circuits
Concepts:
(A detailed list of terms &
objectives is available.)
- Electric Circuits
- Concept Summary (download the PowerPoint file)
- Series Circuits
- Single pathway
- Disadvantages
- When one device fails, all fail
- Voltage (and energy) must be shared by all devices in the circuit
- Equivalent (total) resistance is the sum of the
individual resistances
- Total voltage equals the sum of individual voltages
- Current = Voltage/Total resistance (Ohm's Law)
- Ohm's Law applies to each separate device
- Quiz on series
circuits
- Parallel Circuits
- Voltage is the same across each device
- Ohm's Law applies separately to each branch
- Total current is the sum of the branch currents
- Equivalent (total) resistance decreases as the number of
branches increases
- Equivalent (total) resistance of 2 equal resistances
is half the individual resistance
- Equivalent (total) resistance of 2 parallel branches
is less than the smallest resistance
- Overloading
- Home circuits connected in parallel
- Total current increases as each device is added
- Total energy supplied increases as each device is
added
- short circuits
- fuses & circuit breakers
- Quiz on parallel circuits
- Comparing Series and Parallel Circuits
- Compound Circuits
- Equivalent resistance
- Applying Ohm's Law
- total current
- separate components
- Analyzing Simple
Circuits - a Summary
Labs & Demos:
Supplements:
- The Best From Conceptual Physics Alive (Videodisc)
- Chapter 7 - Demo: Electric Circuits - demonstrates series
and parallel circuits (5:28)
Links:
last update April 8, 2008 by JL
Stanbrough