What is constant in a series circuit?

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Multiple Choice

What is constant in a series circuit?

In a series circuit, the current is the same through every component. There is only one path for current to flow, so the same amount of charge passes through each element in the loop. The total current is set by the source voltage and the total resistance (I = V / R_total), but as you move through the circuit, the current does not change. Voltage, on the other hand, is shared among components: each element drops a voltage proportional to its resistance, and the sum of all those drops equals the supply voltage. Power in each element varies with its resistance (P = I^2R or P = VI), so it’s not the same for every component. Thus, what stays constant throughout a series circuit is the current.

In a series circuit, the current is the same through every component. There is only one path for current to flow, so the same amount of charge passes through each element in the loop. The total current is set by the source voltage and the total resistance (I = V / R_total), but as you move through the circuit, the current does not change.

Voltage, on the other hand, is shared among components: each element drops a voltage proportional to its resistance, and the sum of all those drops equals the supply voltage. Power in each element varies with its resistance (P = I^2R or P = VI), so it’s not the same for every component.

Thus, what stays constant throughout a series circuit is the current.

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