In this deck, we'll explore the two fundamental ways to connect components in an electrical circuit: series and parallel. Understanding the difference is crucial, as they follow different rules for how current, potential difference, and resistance behave. By the end, you'll be able to describe and explain these rules for both types of circuit.

Let's start with series circuits. Imagine a simple circuit with a battery and a few bulbs. If you connect them one after another in a single, unbroken loop, that's a series circuit. There is only one path for the electric current to take. A good analogy is a single-lane road; all the cars have to follow the same path.

Now for potential difference, which you can think of as the electrical 'push' the battery provides. In a series circuit, this push, or voltage, is shared out between all the components. If you have two identical bulbs, they'll each get half the battery's voltage. If one component has a higher resistance, it will take a bigger share of the potential difference.

Resistance is a measure of how difficult it is for current to flow. In a series circuit, the current has to pass through every component in the loop. This means the total resistance is simply the sum of the individual resistances. If you add another resistor, you're making the single path even harder to travel, so the total resistance increases.