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7.2: Analysis Techniques for Series Parallel Resistor Circuits

  • Page ID
    799
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    Process of Series-Parallel Resistor Circuit Analysis

    The goal of series-parallel resistor circuit analysis is to be able to determine all voltage drops, currents, and power dissipations in a circuit. The general strategy to accomplish this goal is as follows:

    • Step 1: Assess which resistors in a circuit are connected together in simple series or simple parallel.
    • Step 2: Re-draw the circuit, replacing each of those series or parallel resistor combinations identified in step 1 with a single, equivalent-value resistor. If using a table to manage variables, make a new table column for each resistance equivalent.
    • Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2 until the entire circuit is reduced to one equivalent resistor.
    • Step 4: Calculate total current from total voltage and total resistance (I=E/R).
    • Step 5: Taking total voltage and total current values, go back to last step in the circuit reduction process and insert those values where applicable.
    • Step 6: From known resistances and total voltage / total current values from step 5, use Ohm’s Law to calculate unknown values (voltage or current) (E=IR or I=E/R).
    • Step 7: Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all values for voltage and current are known in the original circuit configuration. Essentially, you will proceed step-by-step from the simplified version of the circuit back into its original, complex form, plugging in values of voltage and current where appropriate until all values of voltage and current are known.
    • Step 8: Calculate power dissipations from known voltage, current, and/or resistance values.

    This may sound like an intimidating process, but its much easier understood through example than through description.

    00123 (1).png

    10126 (1).png

    In the example circuit above, R1 and R2 are connected in a simple parallel arrangement, as are R3 and R4. Having been identified, these sections need to be converted into equivalent single resistors, and the circuit re-drawn:

    00124.png

    The double slash (//) symbols represent “parallel” to show that the equivalent resistor values were calculated using the 1/(1/R) formula. The 71.429 Ω resistor at the top of the circuit is the equivalent of R1and R2 in parallel with each other. The 127.27 Ω resistor at the bottom is the equivalent of R3 and R4 in parallel with each other.

    Our table can be expanded to include these resistor equivalents in their own columns:

    10127.png

    It should be apparent now that the circuit has been reduced to a simple series configuration with only two (equivalent) resistances. The final step in reduction is to add these two resistances to come up with a total circuit resistance. When we add those two equivalent resistances, we get a resistance of 198.70 Ω. Now, we can re-draw the circuit as a single equivalent resistance and add the total resistance figure to the rightmost column of our table. Note that the “Total” column has been relabeled (R1//R2—R3//R4) to indicate how it relates electrically to the other columns of figures. The “—” symbol is used here to represent “series,” just as the “//” symbol is used to represent “parallel.”

    00125.png

    10128.png

    Now, total circuit current can be determined by applying Ohm’s Law (I=E/R) to the “Total” column in the table:

    10129.png

    Back to our equivalent circuit drawing, our total current value of 120.78 milliamps is shown as the only current here:

    00126.png

    Now we start to work backwards in our progression of circuit re-drawings to the original configuration. The next step is to go to the circuit where R1//R2 and R3//R4 are in series:

    00127.png

    Since R1//R2 and R3//R4 are in series with each other, the current through those two sets of equivalent resistances must be the same. Furthermore, the current through them must be the same as the total current, so we can fill in our table with the appropriate current values, simply copying the current figure from the Total column to the R1//R2 and R3//R4 columns:

    10130.png

    Now, knowing the current through the equivalent resistors R1//R2 and R3//R4, we can apply Ohm’s Law (E=IR) to the two right vertical columns to find voltage drops across them:

    00128.png

    10131.png

    Because we know R1//R2 and R3//R4 are parallel resistor equivalents, and we know that voltage drops in parallel circuits are the same, we can transfer the respective voltage drops to the appropriate columns on the table for those individual resistors. In other words, we take another step backwards in our drawing sequence to the original configuration, and complete the table accordingly:

    00129.png

    10132.png

    Finally, the original section of the table (columns R1 through R4) is complete with enough values to finish. Applying Ohm’s Law to the remaining vertical columns (I=E/R), we can determine the currents through R1, R2, R3, and R4 individually:

    10133.png

    Placing Voltage and Current Values into Diagrams

    Having found all voltage and current values for this circuit, we can show those values in the schematic diagram as such:

    00130.png

    As a final check of our work, we can see if the calculated current values add up as they should to the total. Since R1 and R2 are in parallel, their combined currents should add up to the total of 120.78 mA. Likewise, since R3 and R4 are in parallel, their combined currents should also add up to the total of 120.78 mA. You can check for yourself to verify that these figures do add up as expected.

    A computer simulation can also be used to verify the accuracy of these figures. The following SPICE analysis will show all resistor voltages and currents (note the current-sensing vi1, vi2, . . . “dummy” voltage sources in series with each resistor in the netlist, necessary for the SPICE computer program to track current through each path). These voltage sources will be set to have values of zero volts each so they will not affect the circuit in any way.

    00131.png

    y.PNG

    I’ve annotated SPICE’s output figures to make them more readable, denoting which voltage and current figures belong to which resistors.

    z.PNG

    As you can see, all the figures do agree with our calculated values.

    Review

    • To analyze a series-parallel combination circuit, follow these steps:
    • Reduce the original circuit to a single equivalent resistor, re-drawing the circuit in each step of reduction as simple series and simple parallel parts are reduced to single, equivalent resistors.
    • Solve for total resistance.
    • Solve for total current (I=E/R).
    • Determine equivalent resistor voltage drops and branch currents one stage at a time, working backwards to the original circuit configuration again.

    This page titled 7.2: Analysis Techniques for Series Parallel Resistor Circuits is shared under a GNU Free Documentation License 1.3 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Tony R. Kuphaldt (All About Circuits) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.