Series and parallel springs

<p>In <a href="/facts/Mechanics/A3yHLQA5">mechanics</a>, two or more <a href="/facts/Spring_(device)/jknGXzTq">springs</a> are said to be in series when they are connected end-to-end or point to point, and they are said to be in parallel when they are connected  side-by-side; in both cases, so as to act as a single spring:
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<table><tbody><tr><td>Series</td><td>and</td><td>Parallel</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>and</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>More generally, two or more springs are <i>in series</i> when any external <a href="/facts/Stress_(physics)/ErAXDbbd">stress</a> applied to the ensemble gets applied to each spring without change of magnitude, and the amount of strain (deformation) of the ensemble is the sum of the strains of the individual springs.  Conversely, they are said to be <i>in parallel</i> if the strain of the ensemble is their common strain, and the stress of the ensemble is the sum of their stresses.
</p><p>Any combination of <a href="/facts/Hookean/7hTUcKUm">Hookean</a> (linear-response) springs in series or parallel behaves like a single Hookean spring.  The formulas for combining their physical attributes are analogous to those that apply to <a href="/facts/Capacitor/hyowqv7n">capacitors</a> connected in <a href="/facts/Series_and_parallel_circuits/007qC7j8">series or parallel</a> in an <a href="/facts/Electrical_circuit/zt94kTW0">electrical circuit</a>.
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Series and parallel springs open-in-new

Series and parallel springs