<P> The basic difference between a parallel and a serial communication channel is the number of electrical conductors used at the physical layer to convey bits . Parallel communication implies more than one such conductor . For example , an 8 - bit parallel channel will convey eight bits ( or a byte ) simultaneously , whereas a serial channel would convey those same bits sequentially , one at a time . If both channels operated at the same clock speed , the parallel channel would be eight times faster . A parallel channel may have additional conductors for other signals , such as a clock signal to pace the flow of data , a signal to control the direction of data flow , and handshaking signals . </P>
what is the difference between series and parallel transmission of bits
the number of electrical conductors used at the physical layer to convey bits