Question

A student has four resistors. Each resistor has a resistance of 100 ohms.

Explain how the resistors should be connected so that the total resistance is as low as possible.

Answer 1

The minimum resistance is 25 ohms.

Step-by-step explanation:

Resistance of each resistor is 100 ohms. When resistors are connected in parallel, the equivalent resistance is lowest. For parallel combination, the equivalent resistance is given by :

`(1)/(R)=(1)/(R_1)+(1)/(R_2)+....`

Here, all resistors are 100 ohms. So,

`(1)/(R)=(1)/(100)+(1)/(100)+(1)/(100)+(1)/(100)\\\\R=25\ \Omega`

So, the minimum resistance is 25 ohms.