There are basically two ways in which resistors and other circuit components can be connected in a circuit; in series or in parallel.

• Circuit components are said to be connected in series, if they are connected in a continuous path. When two circuit components are connected in series:

• The same current flows through them.
• The total p. d across the two components is the same as the sum of the p. d. s across each component.

• Meanwhile components are said to be connected in parallel, if they are in different branches in the circuit. When two components are connected in parallel:

• The current through the two components is the same as the sum of the currents through each component.
• The total p. d. Across the two components is the same as the p. d. Across each component.

This is illustrated in the figure below. In this case, V is equal to voltage of the battery since there are only two loads in the circuit,

With resistors connected in parallel, the combined resistance is less than each of the resistances as seen in its figure above.