Question

When comparing two circuits, you note that circuit one has twice the resistance and half the voltage of circuit two. This means that

O both circuits will have the same current
O both circuits will have alternating current
O circuit two will have more current
O circuit one will have more current

Answer 1

Using Ohm's Law, circuit two will have more current than circuit one because it has half the voltage and twice the resistance, leading to a current one fourth as much as that in circuit two.

Step-by-step explanation:

To answer the student's question, we can use Ohm's Law, which states that current (I) is equal to the voltage (V) divided by the resistance (R), or I = V/R. When we compare the two circuits, circuit one has twice the resistance (2R) and half the voltage (V/2) of circuit two. Using Ohm's Law:

• Circuit One: I1 = (V/2) / (2R) = V/(4R)
• Circuit Two: I2 = V / R

Since 4R is four times the resistance in circuit two, the current in circuit one is one fourth of the current in circuit two. This means that circuit two will have more current than circuit one, assuming all other factors are equal.