Which statement is true about voltage distribution in a series circuit?

• A. The sum of the voltage drops across the resistors equals the total applied voltage.
• B. The voltage across each resistor is equal to the supply voltage.
• C. The voltage drops across resistors cancel out to zero.
• D. The voltage across the entire circuit is zero.

Answer: (A)

In a series circuit, the same current flows through every component, and the voltages across those components must add up to the total voltage supplied by the source. This is Kirchhoff’s voltage principle in action: the energy per unit charge gained or dropped as it goes around the loop equals the total supply. Each resistor drops a portion of the voltage proportional to its resistance (V = I·R), so the sum of all those drops equals the applied voltage. That’s why the statement that the sum of the voltage drops equals the total applied voltage is true.

The other ideas don’t fit because you don’t get the full supply voltage across every resistor in a series circuit, only across the entire combined path. The voltage across each resistor is typically less than the supply and varies with its resistance, not equal to the supply unless there’s only one resistor. The voltage drops don’t cancel to zero in a loop; they add up to the supply, and the total circuit voltage isn’t zero unless the source is zero or removed.