The simplest complete circuit is a piece of wire from one end of a battery to the other. An electric current can flow in the wire from one end of the battery to the other, but nothing useful happens.

A parallel circuit is way of connecting components on separate branches, so the current can take different routes around the circuit. The current is different in different parts of a parallel circuit.

Electric Potential Difference: Students learn to describe changes in the potential and kinetic energy of a point charge as it moves in an electrical field. Potential difference is introduced in terms ...