Series and Parallel

Circuits
Kirchoffs Voltage
and Current Laws
Circuits 1
Fall 2005
Harding University

Jonathan White
 Outline
Node definition
KCL
The current entering a node is equal to the current leaving a
node.
KVL
The sum of voltages around a closed loop is 0.
Series circuits
Resistors in series add
Req is always greater than R1 and R2
Voltage Dividers
Parallel circuits
Resistors in parallel follow the equation R eq = (R1*R2)/(R1+R2).
Req is always less than R1 and R2
 Nodes
A node is where 2 or more elements
meet.
For now, and element can be a resistor,
a voltage source, or a current source.
Each point in the node must be
electrically the same.
Exp:
 Kirchoffs Current Law
A fundamental law of nature, like the
Law of Conservation of Mass.
KCL is the conservation of charge charge
can neither be created or destroyed.
KCL definition: The sum of all currents
entering a node is equal to the sum of
all currents leaving the node.
KCL holds for every node in a network
and it works at every point in time.
 KCL
Write equations for the current in each
of the nodes in the circuit below:
 Kirchoffs Voltage Law
A fundamental law of nature, like the
Law of Conservation of Energy.
KVL is the conservation of electrical
energy electrical energy can neither
be created or destroyed, only
transferred.
 KVL 2
1. As the charge moves from the top of the
battery to the top of Element #1 (along the
wire shown in purple), how much energy does
the charge lose?
2. As the charge moves from the top of Element
#1 through Element #1 to the bottom of
element #1, how much energy does the
charge lose?
3. As the charge moves from the bottom of
Element #1 to the top of Element #2, how
much energy does the charge lose?
4. As the charge moves from the top of Element
#2 through Element #2 to the bottom of
element #2, how much energy does the
charge lose?
5. As the charge moves from the bottom of
Element #2 to the bottom of the battery, how
much energy does the charge lose?
6. As the charge moves from the bottom of the
battery through the battery to the top of the
battery, how much energy does the charge
lose?
 KVL - 3

What is Vb equal to?

KVL definition: the sum

of voltages around a
closed loop is 0.
 KVL - 4
Write all the KVL equations for the
circuit below:
 Series Resistance
2 devices are said to be in series when the same
current physically flows through both.
Current flows into one element, through the
element, out of the element into the other
element, through the second element and out
of the second element. No part of the current
that flows through one resistor "escapes" and
none is added.
You see series resistance everyday
 Series Resistance - 2
Consider the simplest series resistance:

What is Vs ?
The equivalent resistance for resistors
in series is always the sum of the
individual resistors.
 Voltage Dividers
Used as volume controls in electronic devices
Provides a continuous sound spectrum, i.e.,
not digital.
Used in RC combinations to filter out input noise
in devices such as tachometers and
A voltage divider looks like this:
 Voltage Dividers - 2
How much current flows
through Ra and Rb ? Use
Ohms Law.
What is Vout ?
As Rb goes to 0, whats the
value of Vout ? Rb is then
physically like what?
As Rb goes to , whats the
value of Vout ? Rb is then
physically like what?
 Parallel Resistors
2 resistors are in parallel if the same
physical voltage appears across each
resistor.
Each resistor provides its own path for
the flow of current. If the resistors
have different resistance values, they
will carry different amounts of current,
each in accordance with Ohm's Law.
 Parallel Resistors - 2
Consider the simplest
parallel resistance to
the right. What is Ip?
In parallel resistors,
the equivalent
resistance is always
lower than either of
the resistors.