Meaning & use
a parallel circuit
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Meaning
nouncountabletechnicalphysics
An electric circuit in which the current can flow through two or more separate branches, so each part gets the full voltage.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a parallel circuit' or 'parallel circuits'.
Patterns
- connect something in a parallel circuit
- a parallel circuit with two resistors
- the current through a parallel circuit
If one bulb burns out in a parallel circuit, the other bulbs stay lit because each has its own branch.
The students built a parallel circuit with three resistors and measured the current in each branch.
A parallel circuit is often used in home wiring so that lights and sockets work independently.
Word forms
| plural | parallel circuits |
|---|
Common combinations
- in a parallel circuit
- The voltage across each branch in a parallel circuit is the same.
- a parallel circuit with
- They drew a parallel circuit with two lamps and a switch.
- connect in parallel
- You should connect the batteries in parallel to increase the current capacity.
- parallel circuit diagram
- The teacher asked us to label the parallel circuit diagram.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shunt circuit
- A more technical term for a circuit where components are connected in parallel; it is less common in everyday English.
Opposites
Word family
- parallel adjective
- Describing things that are side by side and always the same distance apart, or (of circuits) connected across the same points.
- parallelism noun
- The state of being parallel; in electricity, the condition of being connected in parallel.
Commonly confused: a parallel circuit or series circuit?
a parallel circuit vs series circuit
In a series circuit, components are connected one after another in a single loop, so the current is the same everywhere. In a parallel circuit, the current splits into branches.
Practice
In a parallel circuit, what happens to the total current as more branches are added?
Choose one answer.
Adding branches in parallel gives the current more paths to flow through, so the total current increases. Option 0 is wrong because adding branches actually decreases the total resistance, and option 1 is wrong because the total current depends on the total resistance, not just the voltage.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a parallel circuit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.