Resistors In Series

When a circuit has resistors connected in series (each resistor connected in line from one to the next) the total resistance is equal to the sum of each individual resistance.

\[ R_{total} = R_1 + R_2 + R_3 + \cdot \cdot \cdot + R_N \]

The current that enters each resistor is equal, it doesn’t change as we go down the line. The voltage, on the other hand, varies with the resistance of each specific resistor in series.

We can derive the above equation by applying Ohm’s Law ($V=IR$) to Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law ($V_{total} = V_1 + V_2 + \cdot \cdot \cdot + V_N$). We can then write out the above total resistance equation for each individual resistor.

Resources

1. Practical Electronics For Inventors.

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