Module 4.

5 – VOLTAGE SOURCES IN SERIES

CHAPTER 4 – SERIES CIRCUITS

CIRC1 – Circuits 1
Sources:
Electronics Fundamentals Circuits, Devices, & Applications by Bucha
and Floyd 11th Edition
Principles of Electric Circuits by Floyd, T. 8th Edition

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CHAPTER 4: OBJECTIVES

1. Identify a series resistive circuit

2. Determine total series resistance
3. Determine the current throughout a series circuit
4. Apply Ohm’s law in series circuits
5. Determine the total effect of voltage sources connected
in series
6. Apply Kirchhoff’s voltage law
7. Use a series circuit as a voltage divider
8. Determine power in a series circuit
9. State how to measure voltage with respect to ground
10. Troubleshoot series circuits

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Introduction

Recall that a voltage source is an energy source that provides a

constant voltage to a load.

Batteries and power supplies are practical examples of dc

voltage sources.

When two or more voltage sources are in series, the total voltage
is equal to the algebraic sum of the individual source voltages.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing this section, the learner should be able to

◆ Determine the total effect of voltage sources connected in

series

 Determine the total voltage of series sources with the same

polarities
 Determine the total voltage of series sources with opposite
polarities

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4.5 – VOLTAGE SOURCES IN SERIES

Series-Aiding

When batteries are placed in a flashlight, they are connected in a

series-aiding arrangement to produce a larger voltage, as illustrated
in Figure 23.

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Series-Opposing
For example, if one of the batteries in the flashlight is turned around,
as indicated in the schematic of Figure 24, its voltage subtracts
because it has a negative value and reduces the total voltage..

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4.5 – VOLTAGE SOURCES IN SERIES

EXAMPLE 11
What is the total source voltage VS(tot)) in Figure 25?

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EXAMPLE 12
Many circuits use positive and negative supply voltages. A dual-power
supply will normally have two independent outputs, such as those shown
in Figure 27. Show how to connect the two 12 V outputs from the power
supply so that there is both a positive and a negative output and the two
sources are series-aiding.

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MASTERY EXERCISES
1. How many 12 V batteries must be connected in series to produce 60 V?
Draw a schematic that shows the battery connections.

2. Four 1.5 V flashlight batteries are connected in series-aiding. What is the

total voltage across the bulb?

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MASTERY EXERCISES
3. The resistive circuit in Figure 29 is used to bias a transistor amplifier. Show
how to connect the resistors to two 15 V power supplies in order to get 30 V
across the series resistors.

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MASTERY EXERCISES
4. Determine the total source voltage for the circuit in Figure 30.

5. Assume that in a four-cell flashlight one of the four 1.5 V batteries was
accidentally installed in the wrong direction. In this case, what voltage would
be across the bulb when the light was turned on?

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