Look out for any branches which have zero resistance.As soon as you have the total voltage and current, you can compute for the total resistance through Ohm’s Law:.Without it, you can’t calculate the total resistance. You must know the value of the total current. In parallel circuits, currents differ from one branch to another. You can also find the value of the total voltage as it’s equal to the power source of the circuit, like a battery.If you know the voltage value of one of the branches, you can perform the calculation. In parallel circuits, the voltage across a single branch has the same value as the total voltage which flows throughout the whole circuit.

In such a case, you need to use the voltage and the current instead. But in some cases, you might not have the values of the individual resistances. This is the simplest way to calculate resistance. R4 refers to the resistance of the 4th branchĪnd so on until you reach the final branch Rn. R3 refers to the resistance of the 3rd branch R2 refers to the resistance of the 2nd branch

R1 refers to the resistance of the 1st branch Therefore, you must use the total resistance formula which is: Each of the resistors slows down the current which passes through a single branch.īut the resistors don’t have that much of an effect on the overall circuit resistance. Solve for the total resistance using the resistance value of each of the branches. If the circuit comes with resistors on the main branch or if a single branch comes with more than one resistor, you should perform a different calculation. Also, keep in mind that current flows through each of the circuit’s individual paths. Remember that this kind of circuit divides into several paths then join together once again. How do I calculate resistance?īefore you can perform the calculation, you must have a good understanding of the parallel circuits first. To check the accuracy of your answer, input the values in the parallel resistor calculator.Substitute these values in the formula we gave above:.

For instance, let’s have three resistor values of 4Ω, 3Ω, and 6Ω. First, determine the resistance values of all the resistors connected in parallel.Here are some steps to follow for the calculation of parallel resistance without using a parallel resistance calculator: Ω = kg * m^2 / (s^3 * A^2) in SI base units When you apply a potential difference of 1 volt to these points, it produces a 1-ampere current. By definition, one Ohm is the electrical resistance between two given points. The unit of measurement of all these values is Ω or Ohms. R1, R2, … Rn refers to the resistances of individual resistors numbered 1…n. R refers to the equivalent parallel resistance Even without using an equivalent resistance calculator, you can calculate the equivalent resistance for this type of circuit using this formula: The main feature which characterizes a parallel circuit is the common voltage or potential difference across the ends of all the resistors. How do you calculate resistance in a parallel circuit? Also, this type of circuit has more than just one path connected to a single voltage source. This means that parallel resistors share a common voltage and this fact applies to all the elements connected in parallel.īy definition, a parallel resistive circuit is one where the resistors have parallel connections or they share the same nodes or points of connection. Since this type of circuit provides multiple paths for the current supply to flow through, the strength of the current might not be the same across all of the branches or paths.īut the voltage drop which occurs across all the resistors in a parallel circuit remains the same. This is because parallel resistor circuits can take more than a single path since they have several paths to allow the current to pass through. Unlike other circuits, you can also classify a circuit with parallel resistors as a current divider. When you connect both terminals of the resistors together in parallel, this means that you have respectively connected the each of the terminals to the other resistor or resistors.

Parallel equation calculator