The sum of the individual resistances in a series circuit equals the total circuit resistance.

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Multiple Choice

The sum of the individual resistances in a series circuit equals the total circuit resistance.

In a series circuit, the same current flows through every component, and the voltage across each component adds up. Because V = I R, each component drops V_i = I R_i. The total voltage is V_total = V1 + V2 + ... = I(R1 + R2 + ...). When you relate this to the total resistance with V_total = I R_total, you get R_total = R1 + R2 + ... . So the total circuit resistance is the sum of the individual resistances. This isn’t about the smallest resistance, or the reciprocal of a sum (that applies to parallel circuits), or the average of the resistances.

In a series circuit, the same current flows through every component, and the voltage across each component adds up. Because V = I R, each component drops V_i = I R_i. The total voltage is V_total = V1 + V2 + ... = I(R1 + R2 + ...). When you relate this to the total resistance with V_total = I R_total, you get R_total = R1 + R2 + ... . So the total circuit resistance is the sum of the individual resistances.

This isn’t about the smallest resistance, or the reciprocal of a sum (that applies to parallel circuits), or the average of the resistances.

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