Electric Circuit Calculator — Ohm’s Law, Series, Parallel

Solve electric circuits using Ohm’s law, Kirchhoff’s laws, series and parallel resistors.

About this calculator

An electric circuit calculator computes voltage, current, resistance, and power in DC circuits using Ohm's law and Kirchhoff's laws. Handles series and parallel resistor combinations, voltage dividers, and power calculations — the fundamentals needed for every circuit design from LED indicator to a power amplifier.

Modern circuit analysis software (SPICE) handles complex nonlinear circuits, but for linear DC and simple AC analysis, the equations are easy to apply by hand and a calculator just speeds up the arithmetic.

Formula

V = IR \;;\; P = VI = I^2 R = V^2/R

  • V — Voltage (volts)
  • I — Current (amperes)
  • R — Resistance (ohms)
  • Series — R_total = R₁ + R₂ + ...
  • Parallel — 1/R_total = 1/R₁ + 1/R₂ + ...

Worked example

Inputs: 12 V supply driving 3 LEDs (each Vf = 2 V, If = 20 mA) in series with a current-limiting resistor

  1. Voltage across LEDs = 3 × 2 = 6 V
  2. Voltage across resistor = 12 − 6 = 6 V
  3. Resistor value = 6 V ÷ 20 mA = 300 Ω
  4. Power dissipated in resistor = V × I = 6 × 0.02 = 0.12 W → 1/4 W resistor is fine

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose a resistor wattage?

Compute the power dissipated using P = V² / R or P = I² × R. Choose a resistor rated at least 2× that power for safety margin. Common ratings: 1/8 W, 1/4 W, 1/2 W, 1 W, 5 W. For a 100 Ω resistor with 12 V across it, P = 144/100 = 1.44 W — use a 5 W resistor (1 W would overheat and burn out).

Why are batteries rated in mAh and not joules?

mAh measures capacity at a given voltage. Energy in joules = V × Q (charge in coulombs) = V × (mAh × 3.6). A 3,000 mAh phone battery at 3.7 V holds 3,000 × 3.7 × 3.6 = 39,960 J ≈ 11 Wh. The industry uses mAh because phone designers care most about runtime at the device's standard voltage, not absolute energy.

Related calculators

Electromagnetism Energy & Power Electronics

More calculators

EMI Calculator Mortgage Calculator SIP Calculator Compound Interest GST / VAT Calculator Salary Calculator Unit Converter Currency Converter Scientific Calculator Concrete Calculator Paint Calculator Tile Calculator Calorie / TDEE Body Fat Macro Calculator O-Ring Sizes Bolt & Nut Sizes Pipe Sizes Wire Gauge AWG Needle Gauge Chart IV Cannula Sizes Suture Sizes Catheter French Sizes Drug Dosage See all 90+ calculators ›