Applications of Circuits

Objectives

 Voltage, current, and resistance in a circuit are

related by Ohm’s law
 Loads can be connected in series or in parallel in
a circuit
 Parallel loads are practical for circuits in the
home
Ohm’s Law

 It is possible to predict the current in a circuit. This way it can prevent

conductors from getting too hot!
 Ohm’s Law: Law stating that the electrical potential difference between two
points in a circuit is equal to the current times the resistance between those
two points.
 V = IR
 V is the symbol for EPD
 I is the symbol for current
 R is the symbol resistance
Sample Problem

Imagine that you are testing an electrical toy. You are going to plug it into your
home outlet, which provides an EPD of 120 V. The wires are small and you do not
want the current to go above 1.5 A. How high must the resistance electrical toy
be?
𝑉
 Since we’re determining resistance… 𝑅=
𝐼
 Substitute values in for symbols
120 𝑉
 𝑅= = 80 Ω
1.5 𝐴
 The electrical toy must have a resistance of 80 Ω to ensure that the current
does not go above 1.5 A.
EXAMPLES FOR YOU TO TRY!
SOLVE BY IDENTIFYING WHICH FORMULA TO USE AND SHOW YOUR WORK!
A TELEVISION THAT IS PLUGGED INTO A
WALL SOCKET HAS AN EPD OF 120 V. IF A
CURRENT OF 1.25 A IS FLOWING
THROUGH THE TELEVISION, WHAT IS ITS
RESISTANCE?

96 Ω
THE FILAMIENT OF A FLASHLIGHT BULB
HAS A RESISTANCE OF 40 Ω. IF A 6.0 V
BATTERY IS USED IN THE CIRCUIT, WHAT
IS THE CURRENT?

0.15 A
A CIRCUIT BOARD HAS A RESISTANCE OF
12 Ω AND REQUIRES A CURRENT OF 0.25
A. WHAT EPD IS REQUIRED TO OPERATE
THE CIRCUIT?

3V
CIRCUIT IN SERIES

 Series circuit: A circuit in

which current can only flow
along one path.
 The circuit components are
connected one after another
is known as in series. There
is one path to flow!
CIRCUIT IN PARALLEL

 Most circuits are complex,

and current may flow along
more than one pathway.
 Parallel circuit: A circuit
that has at least one branch
point where the current
splits into two or more
pathways.
 Components are
connected in parallel!
PARALLEL LOADS
 Why are parallel circuits ideal?
 If one load burns out, the circuit still flows to the other loads.
 Each load must work independently of all others.
 Multiple parallel circuits are installed in buildings because multiple
components to one source could cause a fire!!
 Hence multiple parallel circuits from multiple sources.
The important stuff…

Series Parallel

Same throughout; equal to total Current through each pathway

Current current supplied by source adds up to total current

Voltage across loads add up to Voltages across loads are equal to

Voltage total voltage each other and to total voltage

Resistors increase total resistance Resistors decrease total

of circuit. As a result, total current resistance. As a result, total
Resistance through circuit decreases current through circuit increases.
SUMMARIZE

 What is the difference between a series and

parallel circuit?
 List three symbols used in Ohm’s law. Explain
what each symbol represents and give them units.
 Explain why it would be impractical to wire a
home with circuits in series?