Parallel Circuits - Revision history

Conrad: Remove the Rows section (anchor names are documented on Template:Rt)

2026-10-25T21:52:26Z

Remove the Rows section (anchor names are documented on Template:Rt)

Conrad: Row anchors as zero-height blocks above the image, so a row link shows the whole table

2026-10-25T21:41:20Z

Row anchors as zero-height blocks above the image, so a row link shows the whole table

Conrad: Show the official table image instead of a wikitext copy; row anchors now land on the image

2026-10-25T21:40:11Z

Show the official table image instead of a wikitext copy; row anchors now land on the image

Conrad: Make the Regents Exam Questions table scroll sideways on narrow screens instead of widening the page

2026-10-25T21:31:34Z

Make the Regents Exam Questions table scroll sideways on narrow screens instead of widening the page

Conrad: Physics reference tables (2025 Edition): new reference table page

2026-10-25T20:29:53Z

Physics reference tables (2025 Edition): new reference table page

New page

{{Physreftable
|name=Parallel Circuits
|prev=Series Circuits
|desc=Parallel Circuits from the NYS Physics Reference Tables (2025 Edition): in a parallel circuit the currents add, the potential difference is the same across every branch, and the reciprocal of the equivalent resistance is the sum of the reciprocals. Supports HS-PS3-6.
}}
The '''Parallel Circuits''' box from the ''Reference Tables for Physical Science: Physics'' (2025 Edition) gives the three rules for components connected in parallel. It primarily supports [[HS-PS3-6]], together with the [[Electricity]] equations and the [[Series Circuits]] box.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! Parallel Circuits
|- id="parallel-current"
| style="padding:8px 16px;" | ''I'' = ''I''1 + ''I''2 + ''I''3 + …
|- id="parallel-voltage"
| style="padding:8px 16px;" | ''V'' = ''V''1 = ''V''2 = ''V''3 = …
|- id="parallel-resistance"
| style="padding:8px 16px;" | 1''R''eq = 1''R''1 + 1''R''2 + 1''R''3 + …
|}

== What the parallel circuits box shows ==
In a parallel circuit each branch is connected directly across the source, so every branch has the same potential difference; the current from the source splits among the branches, so the branch currents add up to the total; and the reciprocals of the resistances add, so the equivalent resistance is smaller than the smallest branch resistance, and adding a branch raises the total current. With [[Electricity#ohm|''V'' = ''IR'']] these rules give the current in each branch.

== Rows ==
Each row of the table has an anchor, so a link or an <code><nowiki>{{Rt}}</nowiki></code> chip ([[Template:Rt]]) can point at one equation or constant:
* <code>parallel-current</code> – ''I'' = ''I''1 + ''I''2 + …
* <code>parallel-voltage</code> – ''V'' = ''V''1 = ''V''2 = …
* <code>parallel-resistance</code> – 1/''R''eq = 1/''R''1 + 1/''R''2 + …

== Regents Exam Questions ==
Released Regents questions that cannot be answered without this table, listed by exam. Each link opens the question with its answer key; the standard is the one the question assesses.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center"
! style="padding: 0.5em 1.5em;" | Exam
! style="padding: 0.5em 1.5em;" | Cluster
! style="padding: 0.5em 1.5em;" | Question
! style="padding: 0.5em 1.5em;" | Standard
|-
| style="background-color:white;" | [[June 2026 Physics Exam|June 2026 Physics Regents]]
| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Flashlight Physics|Flashlight Physics]]
| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Flashlight Physics#q4|Question 33]]
| style="background-color:white;" | [[HS-PS3-6]]
|}

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 The '''Parallel Circuits''' box from the ''Reference Tables for Physical Science: Physics'' (2025 Edition) gives the three rules for components connected in parallel. It primarily supports [[HS-PS3-6]], together with the [[Electricity]] equations and the [[Series Circuits]] box.
-<span id="parallel-current"></span><span id="parallel-voltage"></span><span id="parallel-resistance"></span>[[File:Parallel Circuits.png|440px|class=img-fluid|alt=Parallel Circuits from the Physics Reference Tables (2025 Edition)]]
+<div id="parallel-current"></div><div id="parallel-voltage"></div><div id="parallel-resistance"></div>
 == What the parallel circuits box shows ==

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 The '''Parallel Circuits''' box from the ''Reference Tables for Physical Science: Physics'' (2025 Edition) gives the three rules for components connected in parallel. It primarily supports [[HS-PS3-6]], together with the [[Electricity]] equations and the [[Series Circuits]] box.
-{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
+<span id="parallel-current"></span><span id="parallel-voltage"></span><span id="parallel-resistance"></span>[[File:Parallel Circuits.png|440px|class=img-fluid|alt=Parallel Circuits from the Physics Reference Tables (2025 Edition)]]
 == What the parallel circuits box shows ==
@@ Line 20: / Line 12: @@
 == Rows ==
-Each row of the table has an anchor, so a link or an <code><nowiki>{{Rt}}</nowiki></code> chip ([[Template:Rt]]) can point at one equation or constant:
+A link or an <code><nowiki>{{Rt}}</nowiki></code> chip ([[Template:Rt]]) can point at one equation or constant with these anchors; each one lands on the table above:
 * <code>parallel-current</code> – ''I'' = ''I''<sub>1</sub> + ''I''<sub>2</sub> + …
 * <code>parallel-voltage</code> – ''V'' = ''V''<sub>1</sub> = ''V''<sub>2</sub> = …

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 == What the parallel circuits box shows ==
 In a parallel circuit each branch is connected directly across the source, so every branch has the same potential difference; the current from the source splits among the branches, so the branch currents add up to the total; and the reciprocals of the resistances add, so the equivalent resistance is smaller than the smallest branch resistance, and adding a branch raises the total current. With [[Electricity#ohm|''V'' = ''IR'']] these rules give the current in each branch.
 == Regents Exam Questions ==

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 Released Regents questions that cannot be answered without this table, listed by exam. Each link opens the question with its answer key; the standard is the one the question assesses.
 {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center"
 ! style="padding: 0.5em 1.5em;" | Exam
@@ Line 39: / Line 40: @@
 | style="background-color:white;" | [[HS-PS3-6]]
 |}