Parallel Circuits

If you turned off one light in your house, why don't all the other lights and appliances go out too. If the lights and appliances were wired in a series circuit, they would all go out because turning off a light in your house would cause an open circuit. But that is not the case. Houses are wired with parallel circuits, which contain two or more branches for current to go through. In a parallel circuit, splits the flow of the current through different branches. The voltage difference is the same in each branch because all branches connect the same two points of the circuit.

Parallel circuits have many advantages. The current continues to flow through the other branches even when you have opened a circuit, such as turning off a light or appliance. Major electrical systems such as houses and automobiles use parallel wiring because individual parts can be turned off without affecting the entire circuit.

Diagram above made by: Courtney Ishmael

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