THE ADVANTAGES AND

DISADVANTAGES OF SERIES AND

PARALLEL ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS
For SCIENCE Grade 8
Quarter 1-Week 7

1
FOREWORD
The limits of knowledge are expanding as never before. Every students
being responsible citizens must try to understand the new knowledge and
take part of the discussion of what it means for the future especially this time
of pandemic. This Module is about the advantages and disadvantages of
parallel and series electrical circuit connection. This is how the bulbs and
eletrical appliances are connected in homes, amusement parks and
buildings.
I believe that learning thrives on personal experience, and to let you
take part actively, I have prepared activities into this module. I have noticed
also that, for students to grasp the concepts is Physics, they must be able to
solve related numerical problems. The ability to do this gives you a feeling of
real competence. If you are like most students, you will find numerical
problems worrisome, so I have included sample and practice problems all
through the module.
I know the joy and satisfaction that come from greater awareness and
understanding of the physical world, and I wish you luck as you set out to
capture those rewards for yourself.

2
Objectives
K. Explain the difference between series circuit and parallel circuit.
S. Calculate the voltage, current and resistance in series and
parallel circuit connection.
A. Share to people the advantage and disadvantage of series and
parallel circuit connections in homes.

Learning Competency
Explain the advantages and disadvantages of series and parallel
connections in homes. S8FE – II – 31

I. WHAT HAPPENED

In your previous modular lesson about Ohm’s law, it was explained that
there is a relationship between current, voltage and resistance. According to
George Simon Ohm; current flowing through a circuit is directly proportional
to the voltage and inversely proportional to the resistance. This law governs
h
the brigthness of light emitted by bulbs and the efficiency of appliances
connected in series or parallel with each other. To refresh your mind about
the lessons electricity, please answer the pre-test.

PRE-TEST
Directions: Write only the letter that corresponds to the answer in your activity
booklet or notebook.

1. A complete path for current to flow from the negative terminal of the dry
cell, through the light bulb, and back to the positive terminal of the dry cell
A. electrical circuit C. circuit symbols
B. conducting path D. open circuit
2. When the electric circuit has small amount of electric current flow even if
the voltage supplied is high, this means that the circuit has
A. low resistance to current flow C. low voltage
B. high resistance to current flow D. high voltage

3
3. Which of the following illustrations are example of electrical circuits?

A C

C D. All of the above

https://1 cO3.apogee.net/mcv/home/hes/land/el?utilityname=citizenselectrici&spc=foe&id=472

4. When the circuit has high current flow, this means that circuit has
A. low resistance to current flow C. low voltage supply
B. high resistance to current flow D. all of the above
5. The flow of electrons in a conductor is called
A. voltage B. resistance C. insulator D. current
6. Which of the following is a unit in measuring current flow?
A. Ampere B. Voltage C. Ohms D. Newton
7. The pressure of the electrons following in a circuit is called
A. voltage B. resistance C. voltage D. force
8. What is the unit in measuring pressure of the current flow?
A. volt B. Ampere C. Ohm D. Newton
9. What is the role of a switch connected in a circuit?
A. to open or close the circuit for current flow
B. to regulate the amount of current flow in a circuit
C. to increase or decrease the resistance offered by the circuit
D. both A and B
10. What will happen to current flow if a circuit is open?
A. current can flow through the circuit
B. current cannot flow through the circuit
C. current flow is not affected by the open circuit
D. both B and C
11. What will happen to current flow if the circuit is closed?
A. current can flow through the circuit
B. current cannot flow through the circuit
C. current flow is not affected by the open circuit
D. both B and C
A flashlight bulb can draw 0.3 Ampere current from a 1.5 volts dry cell.

12. What is the resistance offered by the bulb?

(Hint: resistance = voltage/current)
A. 10 ohms B. 5 ohms C. 8 ohms D. 4 ohms

4
13. What is the current drawn by the flashlight bulb if the voltage of the dry
cell has reduced to 1.2 volts? (Hint: current = voltage/resistance)
A. 0.3 Ampere B. 0.6 Ampere C. 1 Ampere D. 0.24 Ampere
14. Which of the following are good conductors of electricity?
A. copper C. bronze
B. silver D. all of the above
15. Which of the following materials are needed to form a simple electrical
circuit?
A. dry cell C. copper wire
B. bulb D. all of the above

II. WHAT I NEED TO LEARN

Discussion
When you connect an electric fan to an outlet, you are making and
using an electric circuit. A circuit is any arrangement of conducting materials
that provides path for electrons to flow. It consists of a source of electrical
energy like batteries or electrical outlet, connecting wires and loads.
Electrical loads can be bulbs or any appliance that uses electrical energy.

Figure 1. Bulbs connected in Series. If you look at the light emitted by the bulbs, it is not
bright. This is because of the high resistance offered by the bulbs in series.

In series circuit, the current has only one route from the source through
several loads and back to the source. If one of the bulbs is removed, the
circuit is open so there is no current for the rest. The total current ( IT ) in the
circuit is the same as the current through the first load I1 and is the same as
the current through the second load I2 and so on.
IT = I1 = I2 = I3 = I3 = I4

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The total voltage (VT) is equal to the sum of all the separate drops of
potential in the circuit. This is equal to the supplied voltage in the circuit.
VT = V1 = V2 = V3 = V4

The total resistance (RT) in series circuit circuit is equal to the sum of the
of the individual resistance.
RT = R1 + R2 + R3 + R4

Figure 2. Bulb marked 3 is removed from the socket, as a result the rest of the bulbs stop from emitting
light. This is because of the single path for electric current flow. The circuit is open so current cannot
flow through the rest of the bulb. If you look at the wire connected from the first bulb to fourth bulb,
there is no other way for current flow.

In figures 1 and 2, there are 4 bulbs connected in series with each

other. The disadvantages of this circuit are:

1. Small current flows through the circuit because of the high

resistance offered by the bulbs, so the light emitted is not bright.
2. When one of the bulbs is removed, the circuit will become open
and The rest of the bulbs will not emit light.
3. Not suitable for connecting appliances because of low current flow.
The advantage of series circuit are:
• Suitable for connecting Christmas lights because of low
electrical energy that can be consumed.

We can check how big is the resistance and how small is the current
flow in a series circuit. Using equations formulated in Ohm’s Law, we will
identify the voltage, current and resistance of the four bulbs in the figure 1.
All four bulbs have resistance equivalent to 5 ohms.

1. What is the total resistance in the circuit?

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Figure 3.

RT = R1 + R2 + R3 + R4
= 5 ohms + 5 ohms + 5 ohms + 5 ohms
= 20 ohms (Ω)

2. What is the total current (IT) flowing in the circuit? Since there are
six ( 1.5 volts ) dry cells connected in series, the total voltage supplied into the
circuit is 9 volts. Using the equation:

IT = Voltage = 9V = 0.45 Ampere

Resistance 20 Ω

The current is very small so this will not give enough electrical energy for the
bulbs to emit bright light.

3. What is the voltage drop in every bulb?

V1 = total current (IT ) x resistance (R)

= ( 0.45 Ampere ) ( 5 ohms )
= 2.25 volts

4. What is the total voltage in the circuit?

VT = V1 + V2 + V3 + V4
= 2.25 v + 2.25 v + 2.25 v + 2.25 v
= 9 volts

In parallel circuit, two or more loads or bulbs are connected to a

voltage source in such a way that the total current is divided among the
loads. The total current current is equal to the sum of the current in each
branch.

IT = I 1 + I 2 + I 3 + I 4

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Figure 4. Parallel circuit. There are four component bulbs connected across two common points ( wire
in black color and wire in red color ) to allow separate conducting points. As you see, the bulbs emit
bright light compared to bulbs connected in series. This is because of the small resistance offered by
the bulbs.

The voltage across all the branches in parallel is the same.

VT = V1 = V2 = V3 = V4
The equivalent resistance in a parallel circuit is equal to the sum of the
reciprocals of the separate resistance.
1 = 1 + 1 + 1 + 1
RT R1 R2 R3 R4

Figure 5. The bulb marked 3 is removed. The removal of the bulb does not affect the rest of the
bulbs because there are still paths available for current flow.

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The disadvantage of parallel circuit are:
1. Loads or bulbs connected in parallel consumes more electrical
energy because of the small resistance offered by the circuit.
2. Circuit overloading that can cause fire is possible.

The advantage of parallel circuit are:

1. Electrical loads like appliances or bulbs are not affected when one
or two are not working.
2. Electrical appliances and bulbs can give its full capacity in operating
because of high amount of electric current in the circuit.

We will now calculate the resistance, voltage and current of the four
bulbs connected in parallel so that we can support mathematical answers
to the facts presented.

1. What is the total resistance of the four bulbs? Each bulb has a resistance of
5 omhs.
1 = 1 + 1 + 1 + 1
RT R1 R2 R3 R4
= 1 + 1 + 1 + 1
5Ω 5Ω 5Ω 5Ω ( we will use 5 as our LCD )
= 1 + 1 + 1 + 1
5
1 = 4
RT 5
RT = 5 = 1.25 ohms
4
The total resistance is very small compared to the total resistance when the
bulbs are connected in series. According to Ohm’s Law, current is inversely
proportional to the resistance, since we have a very small value of resistance,
what do we expect for current? Let’s find out.

2. What is the current used in each bulb?

Because the system of connecting the bulb is parallel, the voltage
drop in in every bulb is 9 volts ( the output of the 6 dry cells).

I = voltage = 9 volts = 1.8 Amperes

resistance 5 ohms

IT = I 1 + I2 + I3 + I4
= 1.8 A + 1.8 A + 1.8 A + 1.8 A
= 7.2 Amperes
The value of the total current in parallel circuit is many times larger compared
to the total current when bulbs are in series circuit.

9
Sample problem:
Two bulbs are connected in
parallel and in series. Both bulbs
have resistance of 5 ohms. The
voltage supplied by the dry cell is
1.5 volts.

https://dreamstime.com/illustration/series-circuit-diagram.html

1. What is the total resistance of the bulbs connected in parallel?

1 = 1 + 1 1 = 2
RT R1 R2 RT 5
= 1 + 1 = 5
5Ω 5Ω 2
= 1 + 1 RT = 2.5 ohms
5
2. What is the total resistance of the bulbs connected in series?
RT = R1 + R2
= 5Ω + 5Ω
RT = 10 ohms

3. What is the total current flowing in bulbs 1 and 2 connected in parallel?

I = voltage = 1.5 volts = 0.3 Ampere
R1 5Ω
IT = I1 + I2
= 0.3 A + 0.3 A
= 0.6 Ampere

4. What is the total current flowing in bulbs 1 and 2 that are connected in
series?
IT = V = 1.5 volts = 0.15 Ampere
RT 10 ohms

5. What is the voltage drop in Bulbs 1 and 2 that are connected in series?
V= I xR VT = V1 + V2
= 0.15 A x 5Ω = 0.75 v + 0.75 v
= 0.75 volts = 1.5 volts

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ACTIVITY/PERFORMANCE TASK 1

Directions: Write this on a sheet of bond paper.

Name: ________________________________
Section: _______________

Investigation: Parallel Circuit

Problem:
How to claculate the current , voltage and resistance in bulbs connected in
parallel?

Procedure:
1. Draw the battery, switch and the bulbs. Connect them by drawing lines to
represent the connecting wire in order to form a parallel circuit.

A Parallel circuit Illustration

Bulb 1 Bulb 2 Bulb 3

2Ω 2Ω 2Ω
9 volt dry cell

Switch
https://shutterstock.com/search/light+bulb+socket

2. Calculate the total resistance of the bulbs.

3. What is the current flowing in bulb 1, bulb 2 and bulb 3?

4. What is the total current flowing in the circuit?

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ACTIVITY/PERFORMANCE TASK 2

Directions: Write this on a sheet of bond paper.

Name: ________________________________
Section: _______________

Investigation: Series Circuit

Problem:
How to calculate the current , voltage and resistance in bulbs connected in
series?

Procedure:
1. Draw the battery, switch and the bulbs. Connect them by drawing lines to
represent the connecting wire in order to form a series circuit.

A series circuit Illustration

Bulb 1 Bulb 2 Bulb 3

2Ω 2Ω 2Ω
9 volt dry cell

switch
https://shutterstock.com/search/light+bulb+socket

2. Calculate the total resistance of the bulbs.

3. Calculate total current in the circuit.
4. What is the voltage drop in each bulb?

5. What is the total voltage in the circuit?

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In figure 2 about bulbs connected in series, the removal of the bulb
from the socket of the closed circuit affects the other bulbs. The current has
only one route from the source through the several bulbs and back to the
source. If the bulb is removed, the circuit is open so there is no current flow.
The resistance offered by loads or bulbs in series is large so current in the
circuit is very small. This type of circuit is not suitable for appliances but good
for connecting Christmas lights for the purpose of saving electrical energy
consumption.
If two or more loads are connected to a voltage source in such a way
that the total current is divided among the loads, then the circuit is parallel. In
figure 5, you observed that even if one bulb is removed from the circuit, the
other bulbs still light. This type of circuit is good for connecting appliances but
should be regulated to avoid circuit overload that may cause fire.

III. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

EVALUATION/POST TEST
Directions: Write only the letter that correspond to the answer in your
booklet or answer sheet.

Situation 1: Twenty series lights are plugged into a 220 volt outlet. Every series
light has a resistance of 10 ohms. ( for questions number 1 to 3)
1. What is the total resistance of the 20 series lights?
A. 20 ohms B. 10 ohms C. 220 ohms D. 200 ohms
2. What is the total current flowing through the series bulbs?
A. 1.1 Amperes B. 2.4 Amperes C. 2. 2 Amperes D. 1.5 Amperes
3. What is the voltage drop in every series light bulb?
A. 10 volts B. 5 volts C. 11 volts D. 15 volts

Situation 2: Two identical bulbs have resistance of 3 ohms. The bulbs are
connected in parallel and attached to 12 volt Lead storag battery.
(for questions number 4 to 7)

4. What is the total resistance of the two bulbs connected in parallel?

A. 2 ohms B. 1.5 ohms C. 6 ohms D. 7 ohms
5. What is the current passing on the first bulb?
A. 4 Amperes B. 8 Amperes C. 6 Amperes D. 10 Amperes
6. What is the current passing on the second bulb?
A. 4 Amperes B. 8 Amperes C. 6 Amperes D.10 Amperes
7. What is the total current flowing through the parallel circuit?
A. 4 Amperes B. 8 Amperes C. 6 Amperes D.10 Amperes

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8. What electrical circuit has only one path for current flow?
A. series circuit C. open circuit
B. parallel circuit D. close circuit
9. What electrical circuit has more than one paths for current flow?
A. series circuit C. open circuit
B. close circuit D. parallel circuit
10. What is the function of a switch in parallel or series circuit?
A. regulate the flow of current C. open or close the circuit
B. regulate the resistance D. both A and B
11. What will happen to electric current if the electrical circuit is open?
A. current can flow through the circuit C. increase in the circuit
B. current cannot flow through the circuit D. decrease in the circuit
12. What will happen to current if the electrical circuit is closed?
A. current can flow through the circuit C. increase in the circuit
B. current flow through the circuit D. decrease in the circuit
13. A complete path for current to flow from the source to the bulbs then
back to the source
A. fuse B. battery C. circuit breaker D. electrical circuit
14. What is the unit in measuring resistance?
A. Newton B. Ampere C. volt D. Ohms
15. If six dry cells are connected in series, what is the output voltage?
A. 10 volts B. 5 volts C. 6 volts D. 9 volts

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REFERENCES

• SEDIP, Revised Edition, 2004, Physics Text Book, Quezon City,

SD Publications, Inc.

Internet Sources:

https://antimatter.ie/2013/02/04/resistors-in-series-and-parallel/
https://dreamstime.com/illustration/series-circuit-diagram.html
https://alibaba.com/product-detail/oem-dry-cell-battery-1-5v-
1600101099467.html
https://shutterstock.com/search/light+bulb+socket

15
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF NEGROS ORIENTAL

SENEN PRISCILLO P. PAULIN, CESO V

Schools Division Superintendent

NILITA L. RAGAY, Ed.D.

OIC - Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Acting CID Chief

ROSELA R. ABIERA
Education Program Supervisor – (LRMS)

ARNOLD R. JUNGCO
Education Program Supervisor – (SCIENCE & MATH)

MARICEL S. RASID
Librarian II (LRMDS)

ELMAR L. CABRERA
PDO II (LRMDS)

ARNOLD D. ACADEMIA
Writer

NAME OF ILLUSTRATOR/Lay-out Artist

Illustrator/Lay-out Artist

_________________________________
ALPHA QA TEAM
ZENAIDA A. ACADEMIA
ADELINE FE D. DIMAANO, Ed. D.
VICENTE B. MONGCOPA
FLORENTINA P. PASAJINGE
BETA QA TEAM
ZENAIDA A. ACADEMIA
DORIN FAYE D. CADAYDAY
MERCY G. DAGOY
RANJEL D. ESTIMAR
MARIA SALOME B. GOMEZ
JUSTIN PAUL ARSENIO C. KINAMOT
ARJIE T. PALUMPA

DISCLAIMER

The information, activities and assessments used in this material are designed to provide
accessible learning modality to the teachers and learners of the Division of Negros Oriental. The
contents of this module are carefully researched, chosen, and evaluated to comply with the set
learning competencies. The writers and evaluator were clearly instructed to give credits to
information and illustrations used to substantiate this material. All content is subject to copyright and
may not be reproduced in any form without expressed written consent from the division.

16
SYNOPSIS
15. D 11. B 12. A 13. C 14. D

This Self Learning Kit (SLK) is crafted

10. C 6. A 7. B 8. A 9. D
5. A 1. D 2. A 3. C 4. B
to help learners in understanding the topics
in Physics particularly on the lesson about Summative Test
about series and parallel electrical circuit
connection. Learners will know how to
total voltage = 9 volts 5.
voltage drop = 3 volts 4.
make simple parallel and series circuit total current = 1.5 Amperes 3.
using battery, flashlight bulb, connecting total resistance = 6 ohms 2.

wire and switch. How to compute unknown Activity/Performance Task 2

value of voltage, current and resistance in
the electrical circuit is also emphasized to 4. total current = 13.5 Amperes

broaden the learner’s mathematical

3. current in bulbs = 4.5 Amperes
2. total resistance = 0.66 ohms
ability.
Have fun in reading this Self Activity/Performance Task 1

Learning Kit. I know joy and satisfaction 15. D 14. D 12. B 13. D 11. A
that come from greater awareness and 10. B 9. A 7. C 8. B 6. A
understanding of the physical world, and I 5. D 4. A 2. B 3. D 1. A

wish you luck as you set out to capture Pre-Test

those rewards for yourself. ANSWER KEY

ABOUT THE WRITER

ARNOLD D. ACADEMIA is presently teaching at Ayungon National

High School. He taught pure Physics before the
implementation of the K to 12 Curriculum. He is a DOST Project
RISE scholarship recipient to study General Science at University
of San Carlos and during the SEDIP he studied Physics on the
same university. He is the District Science Coordinator of
Ayungon 1.