why is current lower in a serie circuit than a parralel one?
i have had conflicting views on this.
1) it stays the same because current is always the same
or
2) it is lower b/c there is a direct relationship btw current and voltage and in a parallel circuit, the voltage is higher so so must be the current
Please stop posting this question. Your "conflicting"views are inane, neither answers the question. You need to do some thought with basic Ohm's Law.
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/chpt_5/2.html
The correct explanation is that the current is lower in a series circuit compared to a parallel one.
In a series circuit, the components are connected in a single path. The current flowing through each component within the circuit is the same. This happens because there is only one possible path for the current to flow, so the flow of electrons is uniform throughout the circuit.
On the other hand, in a parallel circuit, the components are connected side by side, providing multiple paths for current to flow. Here, the voltage across each component is the same, but the total current flowing through the circuit is divided among the branches. Each branch allows a portion of the total current to flow, resulting in a higher overall current compared to a series circuit.
To understand this concept, you can use Ohm's Law, which states that current (I) is equal to the voltage (V) divided by the resistance (R). In a parallel circuit, the total current is divided among the different branches, so the current flowing through each branch depends on the resistance of that specific branch. Therefore, if the resistance of one branch is lower than that of another branch, more current will flow through the branch with the lower resistance.
In summary, the current is lower in a series circuit because there is only one path for the current to flow, whereas in a parallel circuit, the current is divided among multiple paths, resulting in a higher overall current.