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__SERIES CIRCUIT__  A circuit that is only composed of components connected in a series is known as a series circuit. The **current** flowing through a series circuit is **constant** while the **voltage** **varies**. The **total voltage** being used **equals the battery supply**. __If one break in the circuit occurs, then the whole circuit is open and does not work__. The **total resistance** is **equal to the sum of the resisters in the circuit added together**. In a series circuit, the lights are dim if there is a small battery source. With more voltage, or battery source, the lights will be brighter. A series circuit is described as "a wire that joins the battery to one bulb, to the next bulb, to the next bulb, to the next bulb, then back to the battery, in one continuous loop." An **anmeter** measures current flow through the resistor, and is placed on the line with the voltage source like a series circuit.

**R total ** = R 1 +R 2 +R 3 ...etc
 * V total **= V R1 +V R2 +V R3 ...etc
 * I total **= I 1 I 2 I 3 ...etc

In a series circuit, __every device must function for the circuit to be complete__. One light burning out in a series circuit kills the circuit. Since a serier circuit only has one path, if one device is not functioning then the charge will not be transfered to the rest of the cicuirt.

As stated, there is __only one true path to make a series circuit__. The circuit starts at only one source (the battery or outlet) and then continues back to the source in a single line. There is no other options of returning back to source. There is normally a switch at the beginning of the circuit to either turn on or off the circuit. Almost every household does //not// have a series circuit. This makes complete sense because if one light went off in a house, then every single other light would then go out. A house has parallel circuits because if one light would go out, the rest would stay on.

 __RESISTORS__

Series circuits are also known as "current-coupled" or "daisy chain-coupled," (referring to a daisy garland). This type of circuit is known as this because current travels through each and every component. This means that all areas in a series circuit carry the current. Resistance is measured in ohms.



__INDUCTORS__  "Non-coupled inductors in series is equal to the sum of their individual inductances." An **inductor **is a part of an electric circuit, usually a coil, in which an electromotive force is generated by inductance. If two inductors are in a series then there are two possible equivalent inductances. This all depends on how the magnetic fields on the inductors have influence on the other.

__CAPACITORS__



 A capacitor is an electrical component, used to store a charge temporarily, consisting of two conducting surfaces separated by a nonconductor dielectric. The ** total capacitance **is equal to the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of the individual capacitances.

MEMRISTORS and SWITCHES : Memristors are a class of passive two-terminal circuit elements that maintain a functional relationship between the time integrals of current and voltage. In a series circuit they are listed in order of their sum. Switches are electrical components that can break an electrical circuit, interrupting the current or divert it from one conductor to another. The circuit may only carry current if the switch is turned on.


 * || [[image:http://library.thinkquest.org/10796/ch14/image/ex1a.gif width="214" height="125" caption="Example 1 a"]] ||
 * Example 1 a ||  || Here is an example of a series circuit. What is the **total voltage**, r **esistance** and **current** ?

(Posted From [|http://library.thinkquest.org/10796/ch14/ch14.htm]) || First, we have to find out the **total voltage** using equation 1 above, and then resistance using equation 2, and finally you can find out the current using equation 3. Since total votlage is V1 + V2 + V3 + V4 = VT, Then the total votlage of the circuit is 9 + 1 + 16 + 4 = 30 V If the total voltage is R1 + R2 + R3 + R4 = RT, Then the total resistance is 30 + 10 + 40 + 20 = 100 ohm


 * [[image:circuits caption="short circuit. (Image by Flickr user gluemoon, CC)"]] ||
 * short circuit. (Image by Flickr user gluemoon, CC) ||
 * [[image:series.jpg width="346" height="213" caption="Series Circuit Diagram (St. Mary's High School) - Three resistors in a series circuit" link="http://www.smgaels.org/physics/home/hand_2/weeks_9_and_10_q2.htm"]] ||
 * Series Circuit Diagram (St. Mary's High School) - Three resistors in a series circuit ||

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Like the picture below, or even probably the best example, christmas lights are best used to describe and show how in fact series circuits work. There is only one path for the current to flow. Opening or breaking a series circuit such as this at any point in its path causes the entire circuit to "open" or stop operating. That's because the basic requirement for the circuit to operate a continuous, closed loop path is no longer met. =====

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*Follow this link & help Charlie with some fun series circuit experiments! [|http://www.edukate.net/ed1_files/circuits1.html]=====

<span style="font-size: 110%; color: #00ff00; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif;"> Problem:

A series circuit consists of three resistors conected to a 10 volt battery. R1 is 5 ohms, R2 is 10 ohms, and R3 is 15 ohms. What is the total resistance? What is the total current? What is current 1, current 2 and current 3 individually? What are the three individual voltages?

WORK:

Resistance: Rtotal= R1+R2+R3 Rtotal= 5+10+15 = 30 ohm Rtotal = 30

Current: Itotal= Voltage / Resistance Itotal= 10 V/ 30 ohm Itotal= .33 A I1= .33 A I2= .33 A I3= .33 A

Voltage: Voltage = Current x Resistance V1= .33 A (5 ohm) = 1.65 V V2= .33 A (10 ohm) = 3.3 V V3= .33A (15 ohm) = 4.95 V

HINT: 1.65 + 3.3 + 4.95 = 10 V (total voltage)

Problem 2:

This series circuit has three resistors connected to a 10 V battery. R1 is 10 ohms, R2 is 20 ohms, and R3 is 30 ohms. What is the total resistance? What is the total current? What is current 1, current 2 and current 3 individually? What are the three individual voltages?

WORK:

Resistance: Rtotal= R1+R2+R3 Rtotal= 10+20+30 Rtotal= 60 ohms

Current: Itotal: Voltage/ Resistance Itotal: 10 V / 60 ohmss Itotal: .167 A I1: .167 A I2: .167 A I3: .167 A

Voltage: Voltage= Current x Resistance V1= .167 A x 10 ohms= 1.67 V V2= .167 A x 20 ohms= 3.34 V V3= .167 A x 30 ohms= 5.01 V

A **series circuit** has more than one resistor //(anything that uses electricity to do work)// and gets its name from **only having one path for the charges** to move along. Charges must move in "series" first going to one resistor then the next. If one of the items in the circuit is broken then no charge will move through the circuit because there is only one path. There is no alternative route. Old style electric holiday lights were often wired in series. If one bulb burned out, the whole string of lights went off. Below is an animation of a series circuit where electrical energy is shown as gravitational potential energy (GPE). The greater the change in height, the more energy is used or the more work is done. In this animation you should notice the following things: The following rules apply to a **series circuit**: > > >  **Ohm's Law** may be used in a series circuit as long as you remember that you can use the formula with **either** partial values or with total values but you can not mix parts and totals.
 * The battery or **source** is represented by an escalator which raises charges to a higher level of energy.
 * As the charges move through the **resistors** (represented by the paddle wheels) they do work on the resistor and as a result, they lose electrical energy.
 * The charges do more work (give up more electrical energy) as they pass through the larger resistor.
 * By the time each charge makes it back to the battery, it has lost all the energy given to it by the battery.
 * The total of the potential drops ( - **potential difference**) across the resistors is the same as the potential rise ( + **potential difference**) across the battery. This demonstrates that a charge can only do as much work as was done on it by the battery.
 * The charges are positive so this is a representation of **Conventional Current** //(the apparent flow of positive charges)//
 * The charges are only flowing in one direction so this would be considered **direct current** ( **D.C.** ).
 * 1)  The sum of the potential drops equals the potential rise of the source.
 * 1) The current is the same everywhere in the series circuit.
 * 1) The total resistance of the circuit (also called **effective resistance**) is equal to the sum of the individual resistances.