Lowering the resistance in a series circuit will cause the current to

Lowering the resistance in a series circuit will cause the current to

• A. Decrease current
• B. No change in current
• C. Increase current
• D. Increase power

Answer: (C)

When the voltage is fixed, current is determined by I = V/R. In a series circuit the current through every component is the same and the total resistance is the sum of the individual resistances. If you lower the total resistance, the fixed voltage pushes more charge per second, so the current increases. For example, with a 12 V source, dropping the total resistance from 6 ohms to 3 ohms changes the current from 2 A to 4 A. As the current rises, the power drawn from the source also increases, but the key effect of lowering resistance is that the current goes up.

When the voltage is fixed, current is determined by I = V/R. In a series circuit the current through every component is the same and the total resistance is the sum of the individual resistances. If you lower the total resistance, the fixed voltage pushes more charge per second, so the current increases. For example, with a 12 V source, dropping the total resistance from 6 ohms to 3 ohms changes the current from 2 A to 4 A. As the current rises, the power drawn from the source also increases, but the key effect of lowering resistance is that the current goes up.