WORKBENCH 04 / 5 min TO EXPLORE
Series & Parallel Explorer
Same resistors. Two ways to connect them. Explore how the arrangement changes resistance, voltage, and current.
- 01 Try an example
- 02 Change one thing
- 03 Understand why
Try it out
Your resistors
2–6 componentsThe same current flows through every resistor. Their voltage drops add up to the supply voltage.
Results update as you type. Try changing just one value.
SEE YOUR CIRCUIT
THE IDEA BEHIND THE NUMBERS
The connections change the story.
Start with two 1 kΩ resistors and a 9 V supply. Switch between series and parallel without changing the values. Watch the total resistance and supply current change.
Series: one continuous path
Resistors connect end to end. Their resistances add together, and the same current flows through all of them. A larger resistor takes a larger share of the supply voltage.
I = Vsupply ÷ Rtotal
Voltage across each resistor = I × R
Two 1 kΩ resistors in series make 2 kΩ. With 9 V across the pair, the current is 4.5 mA and each resistor drops 4.5 V.
Parallel: more than one path
Each resistor connects across the same two nodes. Every branch has the full supply voltage. Current splits between the branches, with more flowing through the lower resistance.
Current in each branch = Vsupply ÷ R
Itotal = I1 + I2 + …
Two 1 kΩ resistors in parallel make 500 Ω. With a 9 V supply, each branch takes 9 mA and the supply provides 18 mA in total. Adding another parallel branch lowers the total resistance.
What do the table and diagram show?
- Voltage
- The potential difference across each resistor, in volts.
- Current
- The current through that resistor. Series values match; parallel branch currents add up.
- Power
- Heat dissipated in that resistor: P = V × I. Check actual resistor ratings before building.
- Ideal model
- This explorer models only a series chain or parallel branches of ideal resistors with an ideal DC source. It excludes mixed networks, wire resistance, and supply limits.