39.8k views
2 votes
Suppose that you connect a 9 V battery across points A and B in the circuit above. Calculate the current (in milliamps) flowing between points A and B.

R₁ = R2 = 81 Ω
R₃ = 18 Ω
R₄ = 49 Ω

Hint: Be mindful of units.
Round to the nearest tenth.

Suppose that you connect a 9 V battery across points A and B in the circuit above-example-1
User Zxz
by
7.4k points

1 Answer

4 votes

Answer:

356.6 mA

Step-by-step explanation:

You want to know the current flowing in the given parallel circuit when a 9 V battery is connected to its terminals.

Parallel circuit

The circuit shown has three branches connecting points A and B. The total current flowing will be the sum of the currents in those branches. The current in each branch will be ...

I = V/R . . . . . . Ohm's Law

where V is the 9 V from the battery, and R is the total resistance of the branch.

Resistors in series

The resistance in the branch containing R3 and R4 will be the sum of those resistances: 18Ω +49Ω = 67Ω.

Current

The total current will be ...

Iab = V/R1 +V/R2 +V/(R3+R4) = 9/81 +9/81 +9/67 ≈ 0.35655 . . . amperes

A milliamp is 0.001 amperes, so the current in milliamps is ...

Iab ≈ 356.6 mA

__

Additional comment

Ohm's law relates the current, voltage, and resistance in a resistive circuit. Kirchoff's current law tells you the current into a circuit node is equal to the sum of the currents out of it. This is how we know the current into node A from the battery is equal to the sum of the currents out of node A through the three parallel paths.

Suppose that you connect a 9 V battery across points A and B in the circuit above-example-1
User Saomi
by
7.4k points