Your friend says that the equivalent (combined) resistance of resistors connected in series is always more than the resistance of the largest resistor. Do you agree?
I am stuck on this question. Could someone please help me out?
Nope, in series, the resistors add, so the sum of the individual resistors equals the total.
Of course! I'd be happy to help you understand this question.
When resistors are connected in series, they are connected end to end, creating a single path for electric current to flow through. In a series circuit, the total resistance can be found by simply adding the individual resistances of each resistor.
Now, let's examine whether the combined resistance of resistors in series is always greater than the resistance of the largest resistor.
To do this, we need to consider the properties of resistors in series. In a series circuit, the current flowing through each resistor is the same, while the voltage across each resistor adds up to the total voltage of the circuit.
According to Ohm's Law, the resistance (R) of a resistor is equal to the voltage (V) across it divided by the current (I) flowing through it. Mathematically, we can express it as R = V/I.
By applying this formula to a series circuit, if we assume that the voltage across the circuit remains constant, the current will remain constant as well. Therefore, larger resistors will have larger resistance values, as the current remains the same.
Now, let's consider the scenario where we have two resistors in series, R1 and R2, with R1 being larger than R2. Let's compare the combined resistance of the series circuit (R_total) with R1.
Using the formula for resistance in a series circuit, we can express R_total as R1 + R2. Since R1 is larger than R2, the combined resistance R_total will be greater than R1.
This relationship holds true for any number of resistors in series. The combined resistance will always be greater than the resistance of the largest individual resistor because the combined resistance is the sum of all the resistances.
Therefore, your friend is correct in saying that the equivalent (combined) resistance of resistors connected in series is always more than the resistance of the largest resistor.