Question

If you double the current through a resistor, by what factor does the power dissipated by the resistor change?

a) Power remains the same.

b) It doubles.

c) It quadruples.

d) It halves.

Answer 1

When you double the current through a resistor, the power dissipated by the resistor quadruples according to the formula P = I^2 * R.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you double the current through a resistor, the power dissipated by the resistor changes by a factor which can be determined by the formula P = I^2 * R, where P is the power, I is the current, and R is the resistance.

According to this formula, if the current (I) is doubled, the power (P) is affected as follows: P' = (2I)^2 * R = 4 * I^2 * R.

So, by doubling the current, the power increases by a factor of four. Therefore, the correct answer to the question is (c) It quadruples.