A parallel circuit is one of the two basic types of electric circuit that can be found in electrical devices. "Circuit" refers to the total path of an electric current, or flow of electrical energy, and includes devices such as resistors, which control the flow of voltage, or difference in electrical charge, and capacitors, which store electrical charge. Circuits fall into one of two categories: series or parallel. In a series circuit, all the components of the circuit are lined up in a single path so that the current flows through each component in order.