Rinnankytkentämenetelmä

Rinnankytkentämenetelmä, known in English as the parallel connection method, is an electrical engineering technique used to connect multiple electrical components. In this configuration, components are connected across the same two points in a circuit, meaning they share the same voltage. This is in contrast to a series connection, where components are connected end-to-end, and the current flows through each component sequentially.

The primary characteristic of a parallel connection is that the voltage across each component is equal. However, the current divides among the branches of the parallel circuit. The total current entering the parallel combination is the sum of the currents flowing through each individual branch. This property makes parallel connections useful for distributing power to multiple devices, as each device receives the full supply voltage.

A common example of a parallel connection is household wiring. Outlets in a room are typically wired in parallel, allowing each appliance plugged in to receive the same mains voltage. If one appliance fails or is switched off, the others continue to operate normally because the circuit remains complete for them. In a parallel circuit, adding more components generally decreases the total equivalent resistance of the circuit, which in turn increases the total current drawn from the source, assuming the voltage remains constant. The calculation of equivalent resistance for parallel resistors is given by the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of individual resistances.