Series and parallel combined
Change any part of a circuit and the current changes everywhere
When you have a parallel part of a circuit in series with another part of a circuit you need to be really careful not to fall victim to the constant current misconception.
Simulation of series and parallel combinations to illustrate some of the problems when dealing with this kind of circuit.GCSE Maths exam soon?
Practise past papers and get Better Grades!
Visit our sister site www.good-at-maths.com for
- PAST PAPERS
- MODEL ANSWERS
- HD VIDEO EXPLANATIONS
When you change one of the resistances in the parallel part you're changing the effective resistance of that whole part. This means the effective resistance of the whole circuit changes and so will the current drawn from the battery.
If the resistance of the parallel part changes then the voltage is shared differently between the parallel part and the series part.
The voltage across all the parallel arms is still the same but it won't be the same as it was before it was changed.