What is characteristic of the voltage in a parallel circuit?

In a parallel circuit, one of the defining characteristics is that the voltage across each component connected in parallel is the same and equal to the supply voltage. This means that all resistors, regardless of their individual resistances, experience the full voltage of the power source. This uniform voltage is significant because it allows components to operate independently; each resistor or component can have its own current flowing, depending on its resistance, while still maintaining the same voltage across it.

This principle is vital in understanding how electrical circuits function, especially in designing circuits where different components need to be powered reliably without impacting each other’s operation. Each path in a parallel circuit allows for the current to flow based on the individual resistances, while the voltage remains constant across all paths. This is distinctly different from series circuits, where the voltage is distributed among the components.