Combination of Resistors

Just as in any electrical network, multiple resistors in a circuit can be combined together in two basic ways -- connected end-to-end along a single path (SERIES combination) or connected between the same pair of points so that each forms its own separate path (PARALLEL combination). Real circuits often combine both patterns together, so understanding the equivalent-resistance rule for each pattern separately, worked out in the two subsections below, is essential before analys …