Series Circuits vs Parallel Circuits

Here's the difference between series circuits and parallel circuits:

Series Circuits
As you can see in the diagram above, a series circuit is a circuit in which the loads are connected one after another in a single path. As a result, there is only one path for the current to flow when traveling through the circuit.

Parallel Circuits
However, in parallel circuits the loads are connected parallel to each other, side by side. As a result,  there are multiple paths that the current may take. As you can see in the diagram, when the current reaches the junction between the two light bulbs, it splits because there are two paths that the current may take. Half of the current flows through one light bulb, the other half flows through the other light bulb.