ElectricityTopic Summary
Topic Summary: Series and Parallel Circuits
Part of Series & Parallel Circuits — GCSE Physics
This topic summary covers Topic Summary: Series and Parallel Circuits 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 is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 16 of 16 in this topic. Use this topic summary to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 16 of 16
Practice
20 questions
Recall
30 flashcards
Topic Summary: Series and Parallel Circuits
Series Rules
- Current: same everywhere
- Voltage: adds up to supply
- Resistance: R = R₁ + R₂ + R₃
- One breaks: all stop
Parallel Rules
- Voltage: same on each branch
- Current: I = I₁ + I₂ + I₃
- Resistance: 1/R = 1/R₁ + 1/R₂
- R always less than smallest branch R
Key Equations
- Series R: R = R₁ + R₂
- Parallel R: 1/R = 1/R₁ + 1/R₂
- 2 resistors parallel: R = (R₁×R₂)/(R₁+R₂)
Exam Tips
- Parallel R always less than smallest
- Solve parallel group first, then add series
- Houses = parallel (independence)
- Check: parallel answer must be small