What is the current flowing through R1 of figure "B" of the illustrated circuit with the switch closed and with a 6 VDC battery if the resistance of R1 is 2 ohms, R2 is 4 ohms and R3 is 4 ohms, respectively? See illustration EL-0019.
• Use Ohm’s Law: I = V / R to relate current, voltage, and resistance. • Notice in figure B that R1, R2, and R3 are connected as parallel branches, not in series. • In a parallel circuit, each branch has the same voltage across it, equal to the source voltage.
• From the drawing, does current going through R1 also have to pass through R2 and R3, or can it choose separate paths? What does that say about series vs. parallel? • Once you decide the type of connection, what is the voltage across R1? How does that compare to the battery voltage? • Given that voltage and the resistance of R1, what does Ohm’s Law tell you about the current through just that one branch?
• Confirm that R1, R2, and R3 are each connected directly across the same two nodes (a sign of parallel connection). • Be sure you are calculating only the current in R1, not the total current from the battery. • Use I = V / R with V as the voltage across R1 and R as 2 ohms, and check that your final current value matches one of the choices.
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