133k views
4 votes
Find the value of r1 that makes req = 40?

1 Answer

4 votes

Final Answer:

The value of
\( r_1 \) that makes \( \text{req} = 40 \) is \( r_1 = 30 \) ohms.

Step-by-step explanation:

The total resistance
(\( \text{req} \)) in a parallel circuit is given by the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of individual resistances. For two resistors
(\( r_1 \) and \( r_2 \)) in parallel, the formula is \( \frac{1}{\text{req}} = (1)/(r_1) + (1)/(r_2) \). In this case, the given condition is
\( \text{req} = 40 \).

We can express this mathematically as
\( (1)/(40) = (1)/(r_1) + (1)/(r_2) \). Since only
\( r_1 \) is unknown, we can set \( r_2 \) to a known value, say \( r_2 = 60 \) ohms. Solving for
\( r_1 \), we find that \( r_1 = 30 \)ohms.

Therefore, when
\( r_1 = 30 \) ohms and \( r_2 = 60 \) ohms are connected in parallel, the total resistance
\( \text{req} \) becomes 40 ohms. This solution satisfies the given condition, and it illustrates how to find the value of
\( r_1 \)using the formula for the total resistance in a parallel circuit.

User Magnum
by
8.5k points