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In a parallel circuit,
if one of the bulb (or component) blows the others will
stay on. The electrical current can still flow from the
cell and back again as only one branch
of the circuit will have been broken.
- When the current comes to a branch, it splits
up. Again, think of water flowing in pipes: if a pipe splits
into two some of the water will go one way and some the other.
In the example above, if the bulbs have the same resistance,
half of the current will flow down one branch and the other
half down the other branch.
- As you add more bulbs they remain bright.
When the electrons leave the bulb they are all carrying the
same amount of energy. When the current splits, the energy
being carried by the electrons down each branch is still the
same as that given to them by the cell.
- Equal amounts of electrical energy flow down
each branch of the circuit. The voltage is
therefor the same across all of the branches of the circuit.
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