In a parallel circuit with three 6-ohm resistors across a 12-volt battery, what is the total current?

In a parallel circuit with three 6-ohm resistors across a 12-volt battery, what is the total current?

• A. 2 amps
• B. 4 amps
• C. 8 amps
• D. 6 amps

Answer: (D)

In a parallel circuit, the full supply voltage is applied across each resistor, so each branch draws its own current independently. Here, each 6-ohm resistor has 12 V across it, giving a current of 12 V / 6 Ω = 2 A per resistor. With three resistors in parallel, the currents add: 2 A + 2 A + 2 A = 6 A. So the total current drawn from the battery is 6 A. An equivalent way to see this is to find the total resistance in parallel: R_eq = 6 Ω / 3 = 2 Ω. Then I_total = V / R_eq = 12 V / 2 Ω = 6 A.

In a parallel circuit, the full supply voltage is applied across each resistor, so each branch draws its own current independently. Here, each 6-ohm resistor has 12 V across it, giving a current of 12 V / 6 Ω = 2 A per resistor. With three resistors in parallel, the currents add: 2 A + 2 A + 2 A = 6 A. So the total current drawn from the battery is 6 A.

An equivalent way to see this is to find the total resistance in parallel: R_eq = 6 Ω / 3 = 2 Ω. Then I_total = V / R_eq = 12 V / 2 Ω = 6 A.