Series vs Parallel Batteries, Explained with One Bulb

Same two 1.5V batteries, same 3V bulb. Change only how you connect them, and the brightness changes a lot. In series, the positive of one battery goes to the negative of the other, so they form a single line. The voltages add up, so two 1.5V batteries give you 3V. More current flows through the same bulb, and it gets much brighter. In parallel, it's positive to positive and negative to negative. The voltage stays at 1.5V, so the bulb is about as bright as with a single battery. In exchange, the two batteries share the current, so under the same conditions they last longer. Always use batteries of the same type, with about the same charge left. Put a new battery in parallel with a dead one, and the voltage difference can drive current from the new battery into the dead one. That can heat the dead battery or make it leak, so don't try this. #seriesandparallel #batteries #electronics #electronicsbasics #insideembedded