Could Somebody Explain This To Me And Help

[Superkidsavee]

So In Class We learned About Circets And The Types Such As Parallel And Series Could Somebody Explain

[MigL]

In various circuits, the active 'ingredient' ( depending on the type of circuit, could be current, voltage signal, etc. ) can either follow itself ( one after the other )  down the same path, as in a serial circuit, or, it can split into two ( or more ) different paths, and re-join later, as it does in a parallel circuit.

[Country Boy]

Strictly speaking it isn't the circuit (note spelling) that is in "series" or "parallel", it is what is in the circuit.  First you have to get your  electricity from somewhere, either direct current (from a battery) or alternating current (from a wall socket so ultimately from a generator).  If it is from a battery then you have one wire from, say, the "negative pole" leading to a light bulb, then another wire back to the "positive pole" of the battery.  

If you want that battery to supply electricity to two light bulbs, there are two different ways to connect the second bulb.  You can take that second wire from the first bulb and instead of running it immediately back to the battery, run it to the second bulb and then a third wire back to the battery.  That is in "series".  The other thing you could do is take two new wires and, pretty much ignoring the first bulb, run a new wire from the battery to the new bulb then another wire back to the battery.  That is in "parallel".

 

Obviously wiring "in parallel" is harder and more expensive than "in series" but it has a major advantage.  If you have a large number of light bulbs wired in series and one bulb burns out that interrupts the whole string so all the bulbs go out.  If they are wired in parallel only that one bulb will go out and the others will stay on so it is easy to see which bulb needs to be replaced.

Some of our older friends may remember Christmas tree lights wired in series and having to replace every bulb one by one to see which was the "bad" one.