Concept 8 of 9Foundation
Watch on YouTubeVideoSeries and parallel circuits
Two ways to connect multiple bulbs (or devices) in a circuit:
Series — one single loop. Current passes through each bulb in turn.
- Same current through every bulb.
- Voltage shares among bulbs → each glows DIMMER than in a single-bulb circuit.
- ⚠️ If ONE bulb fuses, all stop glowing (loop is broken).
Parallel — each bulb has its own branch from + to −.
- Each branch gets the FULL voltage → each bulb glows at normal brightness.
- Total current drawn from the cell is larger (sum of branch currents).
- If one bulb fuses, the others keep glowing — independent paths.
Example
Decorative fairy lights (old-style) are often in series — if one bulb dies, the whole string goes dark.
House wiring is in parallel — if your fan dies, lights keep working.
House wiring is in parallel — if your fan dies, lights keep working.
💡 Tip:Series loses voltage with each bulb. Parallel shares current but keeps voltage.
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5 questions to check what you just read.
0 / 5
- Q1.Series circuit has:
- Q2.3 bulbs in series; 1 fuses:
- Q3.2 bulbs in parallel; 1 fuses:
- Q4.Household wiring is usually:
- Q5.Fairy lights that all go dark when one bulb dies are wired in: