What is a Parallel Circuit?

A parallel circuit is a circuit in which all the components are connected parallelly with the same point of contact. In a parallel circuit, the components are connected equidistant with each other. The voltage in a parallel circuit is the same for all the components whereas the current flowing through the parallel circuit is variable for all the components. The total resistance can be calculated by adding the reciprocals of all the connected resistances and taking the reciprocal of the resultant value.

One key characteristic of a parallel circuit is that the voltage across each component remains the same. This is because all components are connected directly across the voltage source, so they experience the same potential difference. Therefore, regardless of the number or type of components in the circuit, the voltage remains constant.

Total Resistance in a Parallel Circuit

The total resistance in a parallel circuit is obtained by taking the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of the resistances of all the resistors connected in parallel. A parallel circuit is one of the important electric circuits. In a parallel circuit, the voltage is similar for all the components connected in parallel but the current flowing through the components is different.

In this article we will discuss the total resistance in a parallel circuit, the total resistance in parallel circuit formulas, and the advantages, disadvantages, and applications of parallel circuits. We will also solve some examples related to the total resistance in parallel circuits. Let’s start learning on the topic “Total Resistance in a Parallel Circuit”.

Table of Content

  • Resistance
  • Parallel Circuit
  • Total Resistance in a Parallel Circuit
  • Formulas
  • Solved Examples
  • Advantages and Disadvantages
  • Applications

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What is Resistance?

The opposition to the current flowing in the circuit is called resistance. In other words, resistance is the measurement of opposition of current in a circuit. The SI unit of resistance is Ohm (Ω). Commonly it is denoted as R....

What is a Parallel Circuit?

A parallel circuit is a circuit in which all the components are connected parallelly with the same point of contact. In a parallel circuit, the components are connected equidistant with each other. The voltage in a parallel circuit is the same for all the components whereas the current flowing through the parallel circuit is variable for all the components. The total resistance can be calculated by adding the reciprocals of all the connected resistances and taking the reciprocal of the resultant value....

Parallel Resistor Circuit

In a parallel circuit the voltage is same for all the resistors connected in parallel but the current flowing through the circuit is different for all the resistors. The total resistance in a parallel circuit is calculated by taking the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of all the resistances connected in parallel....

Parallel Resistor Equation

The following formulas are used to find total resistance in a parallel circuit. Let V be the applied voltage on the parallel circuit with resistors R1, R2 and R3 with total current ‘I’ flow through the circuit. As we know in the parallel circuit the current is different for all the components so, the current flowing through R1, R2 and R3 is I1, I2 and I3 respectively....

Various Parallel Resistor Networks

Given Below are the various circuit representation of the parallel resistor Networks...

Solved Examples on Parallel Circuit

Find the total resistance of the parallel circuit in which the resistances of resistors R1, R2 and R3 are 10Ω, 15Ω and 20Ω respectively....

Advantages and Disadvantages of Parallel Circuit

There are several advantages and disadvantages of a parallel circuit. Some of these advantages and disadvantages are listed below....

Applications of Parallel Circuit

There are multiple applications of parallel circuit. Some of these applications of parallel circuits are as follows:...

Conclusion

From the above discussion we can conclude that to calculate the total resistance in a parallel circuit we first find the summation of reciprocals of all the resistors connected in parallel and then, take the reciprocal of the obtained value. The resultant value will give us the total resistance in a parallel circuit. One other method to find the total resistance is to take product of all the resistances in parallel and divide it by the sum of all the resistances connected in parallel....

FAQs on Total Resistance in a Parallel Circuit

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