Series Circuits — One Path Only
Part of Series & Parallel Circuits · GCSE GCSE Physics revision
This deep dive covers Series Circuits — One Path Only within Series & Parallel Circuits for GCSE Physics. Revise Series & Parallel Circuits in Electricity for GCSE Physics with 20 exam-style questions and 30 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 3 of 16 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 3 of 16
Practice
20 questions
Recall
30 flashcards
🔗 Series Circuits — One Path Only
What it looks like: All components connected in a single loop — current has only ONE path to follow.
Current rule:
- Current is the SAME everywhere in the circuit
- I₁ = I₂ = I₃ = Itotal
- Think: same water flows through each section of a single pipe
Voltage rule:
- Voltages ADD UP to equal the supply voltage
- Vsupply = V₁ + V₂ + V₃
- Each component takes a "share" of the total voltage
- Bigger resistance = bigger share of voltage
Resistance rule:
- Total resistance = SUM of individual resistances
- Rtotal = R₁ + R₂ + R₃
- Adding more resistors INCREASES total resistance
Key consequence: If ONE component breaks, the WHOLE circuit stops — the loop is broken!
Keep building this topic
Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Series & Parallel Circuits. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.
Practice Questions for Series & Parallel Circuits
In a series circuit, what is true about the current at all points?
A student adds an extra lamp to a parallel circuit. Explain how this affects the total current from the supply and the brightness of the original lamps.
Quick Recall Flashcards
20 questions on Series & Parallel Circuits — practise free
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