Series and parallel circuits
Grade 11 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.
Resistors of 4 Ω, 6 Ω and 10 Ω are joined in series. What is the total resistance, Ari?
Resistors of 12 Ω, 3 Ω and 15 Ω are joined in series. What is the total resistance, Bo?
Resistors of 2.5 Ω, 7.5 Ω and 6 Ω are joined in series. What is the total resistance, Esme?
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Circuit schematics (example data), side by side. Series: a 6 V battery with a 2 Ω and a 4 Ω resistor in one loop; an ammeter reads 1 A. Parallel: a 6 V battery with a 2 Ω and a 4 Ω resistor on separate branches; the branch ammeters read 3 A and 1.5 A.
In the schematics, what current flows through the 4 Ω resistor in the series circuit, Jun?
- 3 A
- 1 A
- 1.5 A
In the schematics, which circuit draws more current from its battery, Luz?
- They draw the same
- The series one, at 1 A
- The parallel one, at 4.5 A
Three bulbs are in series. One bulb is unscrewed. What happens to the other two, Milo?
- They stay the same
- They get brighter
- They go out
Three bulbs are in parallel. One bulb is unscrewed. What happens to the other two, Noah?
- They go out
- They flicker off and on
- They stay lit
Why are the lamps in a house wired in parallel, Pia?
- So one switch turns the whole house off
- So they share the voltage
- Each gets full voltage and a switch
In a series circuit, how does the current through each resistor compare, Ren?
- It is biggest in the first resistor
- It is the same
- It is shared out
In a parallel circuit, how does the voltage across each branch compare with the battery's, Tala?
- It is zero
- The same as the battery's
- It is split among the branches