Chapter23–SeriesandParallelCircuits-Images.docVIP

Chapter 23 – Series and Parallel Circuits Section 1 – Simple Circuits Objectives: Describe series and parallel circuits. Calculate currents, voltage drops, and equivalent resistances in Simple Circuits. Series Circuits Although the connection may not immediately be clear to you, a mountain river can be used to model an electric circuit. From its source high in the mountains, the river flows downhill to the plains below. No matter which path the river takes, its change in elevation, from the mountaintop to the plain, is the same. Some rivers flow downhill in a single stream. Other rivers may split into two or more smaller streams as they flow over a waterfall or through a series of rapids. In this case, part of the river follows one path, while other parts of the river follow different paths. No matter how many paths the river takes, however, the total amount of water flowing down the mountain remains unchanged. In other words, the amount of water flowing downhill is not affected by the path it takes. How does the river shown in the figure 23-1 model an electric circuit? The distance that the river drops is similar to the potential difference in a circuit. The amount of water flowing in the river is similar to current in a circuit. Narrow rapids create resistance and are similar to resistors in a circuit. What part of a river is similar to a battery or a generator in an electric circuit? The energy source needed to raise water to the top of the mountain is the Sun. Solar energy evaporates water from lakes and seas leading to the formation of clouds that release rain or snow that falls on the mountaintops. Recall that charge cannot be created or destroyed. Because the charge in the circuit has only ___ path to follow and cannot be destroyed, the same amount of charge that enters the circuit must leave the circuit. This means that the current is the same everywhere in the circuit. If you connect three ammeters in the circuit, as shown in the figure 23-3, they all will