19 October 2022

RESISTIVE CIRCUITS :
RESISTORS IN SERIES &
PARALLEL AND IN BOTH
SERIES & PARALLEL
Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be

able to calculate equivalent resistance
of resistor combinations containing
series and parallel resistors
Section 3.1
Resistors in Series
 Definition

 Two elements are said to be in series if they

are connected at a single node.
 By KCL, all series-connected resistors carry the
same current.
4
 Equivalent resistor

 By (1) KVL, (2) all series resistors share a

common current is, and (3) Ohm’s law,  vs =
isR1 + isR2 +…+ isR7 = is(R1+R2+…+R7) = isReq,
k

 Req   Ri  R1  R2  ...  Rk .
5
Section 3.2
Resistors in Parallel
 Definition

 Two elements are in parallel if they are

connected at a single node pair.
 By KVL, all parallel-connected elements have
the same voltage across their terminals.
7
Equivalent resistor

 By (1) KCL, (2) all parallel resistors share a

common voltage vs, and (3) Ohm’s law, is = vs/R1 +
vs/R2 +…+
1 vs/R41= vs(1/R
1 1 +1/R
1 2 +…+1/R4 ) = vs/Req ,
     ... 
1
. R1 R2
Req i1 Ri
 Comments about resistors in parallel

 Req is always smaller than any resistance in

parallel connection.
 The smallest resistance dominates the
equivalent value.

R1R2
Req
 R1 
R2
9
https://www.electronics-
tutorials.ws/resistor/res_3.html
https://www.electronics-
tutorials.ws/resistor/res_4.html
https://www.te
xasgateway.org/resource/193-parallel-circuits
Strategy for simplifying a resistor
network

•Begin as far away as possible from

the observed terminal.
•Replace series or parallel resistors with
their equivalent resistor.
•Continue, moving towards the
observed terminal until a single
equivalent resistor represents the
entire resistor network.
https://www.khanacad
emy.org/science/electrical-engineering/ee-circuit-analysis- topic/ee-
resistor-circuits/a/ee-simplifying-resistor-networks
https://www.electronicshub.org/resistors-
in-series-and-parallel- combinations/
https://www.electronics-
tutorials.ws/resistor/res_5.html
END OF TOPIC