The equations used to calculate the equivalent resistance or capacitance for series and parallel connections of resistors or capacitors, respectively, are often found to be confusing by students. But they are as they are for exactly the same reason. A battery transfers an amount of charge from one surface to the other proportionately to the area of the surfaces and inversely with their separation.

Topics
Batteries, Educational assessment
1.
Thomas B.
Greenslade
Jr., “
A nomograph for resistors in parallel
,”
Phys. Teach.
40
,
458
(Nov.
2002
).
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
2.
Louis Bevier Spinney, A Textbook of Physics, 3rd ed., (MacMillan, New York, 1925), pp. 337–338.
This content is only available via PDF.
© 2003 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2003
American Association of Physics Teachers
AAPT members receive access to The Physics Teacher and the American Journal of Physics as a member benefit. To learn more about this member benefit and becoming an AAPT member, visit the Joining AAPT page.