Teachers TryScience

The resistor is a basic electrical component which offers resistance to the external circuit. There are two basic configurations of resistors:

1. Series Configuration
2. Parallel Configuration

Series Configuration

In series configuration head of one component joins the tail of another and there is no third connection in between them. The image is shown below:

series-circuit-configuration.png

In a series configuration, the equivalent resistance (Requivalent) is equal to the sum of individual resistors.

For example here:

R_equivalent = R₁ + R₂ + R₃

If,

R₁ = 5 ohm

R₂ = 10 ohm

R₃ = 15 ohm

Then R_equivalent = 30 ohm

Parallel Configuration

The second configuration (being parallel) is a little bit complicated. Two or more components of in parallel if their heads share a single node and tails share another node.

parallel-resistor-configuration.png

For parallel configuration the formula used is:

1/R_equivalent = 1/R₁ + 1/R₂

Since this is the somewhat difficult formula you need some practice memorising it. If you have online access there is an easy solution here for solving parallel resistors.

Example for a parallel circuit,

If, R₁ = 5 ohm

and R ₂= 5 ohm

then

1/ Requivalent= 1/R₁ + 1/R2.

and R_equivalent = 2.5 ohms

So that was all about these two configurations. Hope you liked the tutorial. Inform me in comments about your views.