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Fizyka - program rozszerzony I
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Lekcja 5: Oporniki połączone szeregowo i równolegleResistors in series and parallel review
Review how to find the equivalent resistance for resistors in parallel and series configurations. Recall the current and voltage properties of series and parallel configurations of resistors.
Pojęcia kluczowe
Term (symbol) | Meaning | |
---|---|---|
Equivalent resistance (R, start subscript, start text, e, q, end text, end subscript) | The total resistance of a configuration of resistors. |
Równania
Equation | Symbol breakdown | Meaning in words |
---|---|---|
R, start subscript, s, end subscript is equivalent series resistance and sum, start subscript, i, end subscript, R, start subscript, i, end subscript is the sum of all individual resistances R, start subscript, i, end subscript. | Equivalent series resistance is the sum of all the individual resistances. | |
R, start subscript, p, end subscript is equivalent parallel resistance and sum, start subscript, i, end subscript, start fraction, 1, divided by, R, start subscript, i, end subscript, end fraction is the sum of all individual resistances R, start subscript, i, end subscript reciprocals. | The reciprocal of the equivalent parallel resistance is the sum of all the individual resistance reciprocals. |
Resistors in series and parallel
Series resistor properties
Any time we have more than one resistor in a row, the configuration is described as having the resistors in series or series resistors (Figure 1).
Resistors in series have some special characteristics worth remembering. Any configuration of resistors in a series will have the following properties.
- The same current flows through each resistor: I, start subscript, 1, end subscript, equals, I, start subscript, 2, end subscript, equals, …, equals, I, start subscript, n, end subscript
- Potential difference is distributed among series resistors: delta, V, start subscript, s, end subscript, equals, delta, V, start subscript, 1, end subscript, plus, delta, V, start subscript, 2, end subscript, plus, …, plus, delta, V, start subscript, n, end subscript
- The resistor with the biggest resistance has the greatest voltage.
- The equivalent resistance R, start subscript, s, end subscript is always more than any resistor in the series configuration.
Parallel resistor properties
Another possible way to arrange resistors in a circuit is to have multiple resistors branch off from a single junction in the circuit (Figure 2).
Resistors in parallel also have some special characteristics:
- The current is distributed across resistors: I, equals, I, start subscript, 1, end subscript, plus, I, start subscript, 2, end subscript, plus, …, plus, I, start subscript, n, end subscript
- Potential difference is the same across all resistors in parallel: delta, V, start subscript, 1, end subscript, equals, delta, V, start subscript, 2, end subscript, equals, …, equals, delta, V, start subscript, n, end subscript
- The smallest resistance gets the most current.
- The equivalent resistance R, start subscript, p, end subscript is always less than any resistor in the parallel configuration.
Keep in mind that not all circuits are strictly series or parallel. Sometimes they can be a combination of both. We will learn how to analyze more complicated circuits in the next few lessons.
How to calculate equivalent resistance
Resistors in series or parallel can be replaced by a single resistor of equivalent resistance. This strategy is helpful for solving complex circuit problems because it let’s us simplify the circuit.
Equivalent series resistance
We can redraw the circuit with the resistors in series replaced by a single equivalent resistor (Figure 3).
We can calculate R, start subscript, s, end subscript from the resistances of the individual resistors in series. If R, start subscript, 1, end subscript, equals, 4, \Omega and R, start subscript, 2, end subscript, equals, 8, \Omega, then the equivalent resistance is the sum of R, start subscript, 1, end subscript and R, start subscript, 2, end subscript:
Equivalent parallel resistance
We can redraw a circuit with all resistors in parallel replaced by a single equivalent resistor (Figure 4).
We can calculate R, start subscript, p, end subscript from the resistances of the individual resistors in parallel. If R, start subscript, 1, end subscript, equals, 4, \Omega and R, start subscript, 2, end subscript, equals, 8, \Omega, then the equivalent resistance R, start subscript, p, end subscript is:
Now, let’s be careful here. Lots of people make a mistake here: start fraction, 3, divided by, 8, end fraction is not the equivalent parallel resistance R, start subscript, p, end subscript yet, it is the reciprocal. To solve for R, start subscript, p, end subscript, we need to take the reciprocal of both sides:
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For deeper explanations, see our video on series resistors and video on parallel resistors.
To check your understanding and work toward mastering these concepts, check out the exercise on calculating equivalent resistance for series and parallel resistors.
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