Table of Contents
- 1 Is potential difference the same throughout a circuit?
- 2 What is the potential difference of a component?
- 3 Will the potential difference across two components connected in series will always be the same?
- 4 What is the potential difference across each resistor?
- 5 In which series potential difference is same?
Is potential difference the same throughout a circuit?
In parallel circuits, the electric potential difference across each resistor (ΔV) is the same. The current in a resistor follows Ohm’s law: I = ΔV / R.
Is potential difference the same everywhere?
The current flowing in a series circuit is the same everywhere. The potential difference across a component in a series circuit depends on its resistance. Energy is conserved in circuits, so the total potential difference for a series circuit is: the same as the potential difference of the cell.
What is the potential difference of a component?
Potential difference is the energy used between two points in a circuit, therefore it is measured between two points either side of a component. We describe this as the potential difference measured across a component.
Is the PD across each component the same or different?
The p.d. across each component is the energy converted by each component. Therefore the energy supplied equals the energy converted – energy has been neither created nor destroyed in the circuit.
Will the potential difference across two components connected in series will always be the same?
The potential difference across two components connected in series will always be the same. In the dark is the current through an LDR higher or lower than in the light? The sum of the potential differences across the components in a series circuit is equal to the total potential difference across the supply.
What does a potential difference across a component show?
A potential difference across a circuit element shows that energy will be shifted by that component.
What is the potential difference across each resistor?
The potential difference across each resistor is the same, and the currents add to equal the total current entering (and leaving) the parallel combination.
How does potential difference vary in series and parallel circuits?
While in a parallel circuit, a different amount of current flows through each parallel branch of the circuit. In the series circuit, different voltage exists across each component in the circuit. Whereas in the parallel circuit, the same voltage exists across the multiple components in the circuit.
In which series potential difference is same?
Two identical resistors connected in series will share the potential difference. They will get half each. If resistors connected in series are not the same then the potential difference is larger across the larger of the resistors.