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Introduction to SAT II Physics - FreeExamPapers

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simply the product of the current and the resistance. The voltage drop across the two<br />

resis<strong>to</strong>rs is:<br />

Note that the voltage drop across the two resis<strong>to</strong>rs is 10 V + 20 V = 30 V, which is the<br />

<strong>to</strong>tal voltage drop across the circuit.<br />

Resis<strong>to</strong>rs in Parallel<br />

Two resis<strong>to</strong>rs are in parallel when the circuit splits in two and one resis<strong>to</strong>r is placed on<br />

each of the two branches.<br />

In this circumstance, it is often useful <strong>to</strong> calculate the equivalent resistance as if there<br />

were only one resis<strong>to</strong>r, rather than deal with each resis<strong>to</strong>r individually. Calculating the<br />

equivalent resistance of two or more resis<strong>to</strong>rs in parallel is a little more complicated than<br />

calculating the <strong>to</strong>tal resistance of two or more resis<strong>to</strong>rs in series. Given two resis<strong>to</strong>rs,<br />

and , in parallel, the equivalent resistance, , is:<br />

When a circuit splits in two, the current is divided between the two branches, though the<br />

current through each resis<strong>to</strong>r will not necessarily be the same. The voltage drop must be<br />

the same across both resis<strong>to</strong>rs, so the current will be stronger for a weaker resis<strong>to</strong>r, and<br />

vice versa.<br />

EXAMPLE<br />

Two resis<strong>to</strong>rs, = 5 and = 20 , are set up in parallel, as in the diagram above. The<br />

battery produces a potential difference of<br />

= 12 V. What is the <strong>to</strong>tal resistance in the<br />

circuit? What is the current running through and ? What is the power dissipated in the<br />

resis<strong>to</strong>rs?<br />

WHAT IS THE TOTAL RESISTANCE IN THE CIRCUIT?<br />

Answering this question is just a matter of plugging numbers in<strong>to</strong> the formula for<br />

resis<strong>to</strong>rs in parallel.<br />

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