Chapter 5 - Parallel

Circuits

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 Overview
• This will cover parallel circuits.
• Kirchhoff’s current law will be
introduced.
• This will include resistors in parallel as
well as current division.
• Troubleshooting circuits will also be
discussed.

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 Parallel Circuits
• Resistors are said to be in parallel when they
are connected to the same two terminals or
nodes.
• Examples of parallel circuits are shown here:

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 Parallel Circuits II
• From these example circuits, the
features of parallel circuits can be seen:
1.Every element is connected to two
nodes like other elements.
2.There are two or more paths for current
to flow.
3.The voltage across each parallel element
is the same.

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 Parallel Circuits III
• One advantage of a parallel circuit over a
series circuit is that when one element
becomes an open circuit, the other
elements are not affected.
• This is a particular issue with strings of
lights, where they are most commonly
connected in series.
• One bulb burns out and the entire string
goes out.

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 KCL
• Kirchoff’s current law is
based on conservation of
charge.
• It states that the algebraic
sum of currents entering a
node is zero.
• It can be expressed as:
I1  I 2  I 3    I N  0

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 KCL Example
• We can use this
illustration as an example
of KCL.
• Here we see that I2 and I5
are leaving the node and
the rest are entering, we
can express KCL as:
I1  I 3  I 4  I 2  I 5

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 Boundaries
• We can also consider a
collection of nodes,
enclosed within an
imagined boundary.
• Here the sum of current
entering the boundary are
equal to the sum leaving the
boundary.
• This ignores ‘internal’
currents.

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 Current Sources
• A current source is the
dual of a voltage source.
• It provides a constant
current to any load
attached to it.
• The circuit symbol for the
current source is shown
here.

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 Ideal Current Source
• An ideal source has infinite source
resistance, though a realistic one has
finite source resistance RS.
• Below is an example of a real current
source (LM2576) employed in a circuit.

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 Combining Current Sources
• A simple application of KCL is
combining current sources in parallel.
• The combined current is the algebraic
sum of the current supplied by the
individual sources.

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 Resistors In Parallel
• Consider the circuit shown.
• The two resisters are in
parallel as they share the
same nodes.
• Here you can see that both
will have the same voltage
drop across them.
V  I1 R1  I 2 R2

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 Resistors In Parallel II
• We can express the current passing
through both resistors as:
V V
I1  I2 
R1 R2

• Applying KCL
I  I1  I 2

• Combining these equations gives:

V V  1 1  V
I  V    
R1 R2  R1 R2  Req

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 Resistors In Parallel III
• We can eliminate the voltage from the
last equation yielding
1 1 1
 
Req R1 R2

• Solving for the equivalent resistance

Req
R1 R2
Req 
R1  R2

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 Multiple Resistors
• The result for two resistors can be
expanded for a circuit with N resistors:
1 1 1 1 1
    
Req R1 R2 R3 RN

• If all the resistors are the same, the

resulting equivalent resistance is:
R
Req 
N

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 Conductance
• For resistors in parallel, it is easier to
add them using their conductance.
• Recall that conductance is the inverse
of resistance.
• Resistors in parallel have their
equivalent conductance as:
Geq  G1  G2  G3    GN

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 Equivalent Circuit
• It is possible to replace an
array of circuit elements
with a simpler set if the
current vs. voltage behavior
is the same.
• Parallel circuits can be
replace by a single
equivalent resistor, as
shown here.

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 Current Dividers
• We know from KCL that the current
entering a node must equal the current
leaving the node.
• Parallel resistors make determining the
current through each branch simple.
• Since we know the equivalent
resistance, we can find the total current
entering the node.

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 Current Dividers II
• Consider the circuit
shown as an example.
• Given the total current IT
passing into node a we
can find the voltage drop.
IT R1 R2
V  IT Req 
R1  R2

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 Current Dividers III
• Knowing the relationship between
current a voltage in parallel resistors,
the previous equation can be rewritten
as:
R2 R1
I1  IT I2  IT
R1  R2 R1  R2

• Or
Req Req
I1  IT I2  IT
R1 R2
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 Current Dividers IV
• We can see from this that the current
passing through either branch is
inversely proportional to the resistance
in that branch.
• This is called the principle of current
division, or the current divider rule.
• In the extreme case, if one resistance
goes to zero, then all the current passes
through that branch.

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 More Than Two Resistors
• The current division rule can be
extended to more than two resistors.
• Consider the network shown below.
• Because they are in parallel, the
voltage across them is the same.

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 Multiple Resistors
• The total current is:
V
IT 
Req

• The current through resistor X is:

Req
Ix  IT
Rx

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 Conductances
• The divider rule can also be expressed
in terms of conductances:
G1 G2
I1  IT I2  IT
G1  G2 G1  G2

• Thus in general is a current divider has

N conductors, the k’th conductor will
have:
Gk
Ik  IT
Geq
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 Troubleshooting
• Circuits do not always perform as
expected.
• An important role for a technician is to
be able to identify the problem at hand
(troubleshoot).
• This is a process by which knowledge
and experience are used to diagnose a
defective circuit.

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 Rules of Thumb
• With experience and knowledge of the
basic laws of electric circuits, one can
locate the cause of a defect in a given
circuit.
• Here are a few rules of thumb:
– Check the connections.
– Follow every line from supply to ground.
– Make sure every leg of each component is
connected to only what it is supposed to.

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 At the Component Level
• At this level we are trying to identify the
branch or element causing the trouble.
• The easiest to find are short circuits
and open circuits.
• Often a component that is “burned out”
will act as an open circuit.
• In a parallel circuit we will see normal
voltage and less total current.

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 Short Circuit
• In the case of a short circuit in a
parallel circuit, all the current will flow
through the short and none through
other components.
• The total current will be greater than
normal.
• None of the loads will operate.

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