There are several possible path arrangements that electrons may follow. The path arrangement is determined by the use or purpose of the circuit. The three types of circuit are: series, parallel, and series-parallel.
The series circuit allows only one path of electron flow. The parallel circuit has more than one path. The series-parallel circuit is a combination of the series and parallel circuits.
A series circuit has more than one resistor (anything that uses electricity to do work) and gets its name from only having one path for the charges to move along. Charges must move in "series" first going to one resistor then the next. If one of the items in the circuit is broken then no charge will move through the circuit because there is only one path. There is no alternative route.
A parallel circuit has more than one resistor (anything that uses electricity to do work) and gets its name from having multiple (parallel) paths to move along . Charges can move through any of several paths. If one of the items in the circuit is broken then no charge will move through that path, but other paths will continue to have charges flow through them. Parallel circuits are found in most household electrical wir- ing.
A series-parallel circuit is a combination of both series and parallel. Electric current travels through both circuits.