If we connect a piece of wire to both terminals of a battery then the pressure of the battery will force the electrons to flow in the same direction along the same path. We can then place electrical components in the path of these electrons to do work for us, for example we place a lamp into the circuit then it will light up as the electrons flow through it.
If we then added another battery to the circuit in series, then the electrons will be effectively boosted by the second battery because they can only flow along this path and there is more energy being added. This will combine the voltages and so we get 3 Volts. More volts = more pressure which means more pushing force so more electrons will flow and the lamp will glow brighter.
However, if we were to move the battery and connect it in parallel, then the path of the electrons splits, some will flow the first battery and some will flow to the second battery, therefore the batteries will both provide the same amount of energy so the voltage isn’t combined and isn’t boosted. We only get 1.5 Volts. The work load is split by the batteries and the lamp will be powered for longer, but it will be dimmer.
We measure the potential difference or voltage with the unit of Volts and we use the symbol of capital V to show this. If you look on your electrical appliances you will see a number next to a V, indicating how many volts the product is designed for.
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