seeriaühenduse

Seeriaühendus, also known as series connection, is a method of connecting electrical components such that the electric current flows through each component in turn, without branching. In a series circuit, the components are arranged end-to-end, forming a single path for the current. This means that the same current flows through all the components in the circuit.

The total resistance in a series circuit is the sum of the individual resistances of each component. For example, if you have resistors R1, R2, and R3 connected in series, the total resistance (R_total) is given by the formula R_total = R1 + R2 + R3. This principle is crucial for understanding how current and voltage behave in such circuits.

The voltage across each component in a series circuit depends on its resistance. According to Ohm's Law (V = IR), a component with higher resistance will have a larger voltage drop across it, assuming the current remains constant. The sum of the voltage drops across all components in a series circuit equals the total voltage supplied by the source.

A key characteristic of series circuits is that if one component fails or is removed, the entire circuit is broken, and current stops flowing. This is because there is only one path for the current. This property can be both a disadvantage, as a single fault can disable the whole system, and an advantage, for example in simple safety switches.

Examples of series connections include old-fashioned Christmas lights where if one bulb burned out, the entire string went dark, or batteries connected in series to increase the total voltage output. Understanding seeriaühendus is fundamental to basic electrical engineering and circuit analysis.