


In other words, the currents in the branches of a parallel circuit add up to the supply current. When resistors are connected in parallel, the current from the power supply is equal to the sum of the currents through each branch of the circuit. The current has to pass through each resistor in turn so adding an additional resistor adds to the resistance already encountered. Īdding resistors in series always increases the total resistance. This is a series circuit and so total resistance is found using the equation:

The total resistance R of two or more resistors connected in series is the sum of the individual resistances of the resistors.įor the circuit above the total resistance R is given by:įind the total resistance of the circuit above. In a series circuit, the voltage across the power supply equals the sum of the voltages across each component.
