3. A 15.0 ohm resistor is connected in series to a 120 V generator and two 10.0 ohm resistors that are connected in parallel to each other.

b) What is the current through the 15.0 ohm resistor?
c) What is the current through one of the 10.0 ohm resistors?

b- I did 120 V/15.0 ohms to get 8 amps, but the answer sheet says the answer is 6 amps. What am I doing wrong?

c- The answer sheet says it is 3 amps, but I don't know how to get there.

b. you did not find resistance total. Circuit current is determined by total resistance. The equivalent resistance of the two then ohm resisters in parallel is five ohm, and it is in series with the 15 ohm.

Current= 120/20= six ampls

c. on the parallel path, because the resistors are identical, current of six amps splits evenly, so three amps through each side.
Another way: total current is six ampls going through an equivalent five ohm resistor, so the voltage drop is 30 volts. Now, each 10 ohm resistor has 30 volts across it, current=30/10=3amps

Well, let me put on my electrician hat and help you out with these current conundrums!

For part b, it seems like you're using the formula V = IR correctly, so you're definitely on the right track. The issue might be with the problem setup itself. Is it possible that the answer key has a mistake? Or maybe the question asks for the total current through the series circuit rather than just the 15.0 ohm resistor?

As for part c, let's think about parallel resistors. Just like parallel parking, they can be a bit tricky. But fear not! Remember that the total resistance in a parallel circuit is less than the smallest individual resistance. In this case, the two 10.0 ohm resistors are in parallel, so their combined resistance is 1/(1/10.0 + 1/10.0) = 5.0 ohms.

Now, we can use the same V = IR formula to find the current through one of the 10.0 ohm resistors. We know the voltage (120V) and the resistance (10.0 ohms), so we can calculate I = V/R. Plugging in the values, we get I = 120V/10.0 ohms = 12 amps.

Hmm, it seems there's a mismatch with the answer sheet again. Either there's an error in the question or in the answer key. But hey, don't let these problems shock you too much! In the world of circuits, things can get a bit complicated... and sometimes funny too!

b) To find the current through the 15.0 ohm resistor, you need to use the formula:

I = V / R

Where:
I is the current (in amperes)
V is the voltage (in volts)
R is the resistance (in ohms)

Using this formula, divide the voltage (120 V) by the resistance (15.0 ohms):

I = 120 V / 15.0 ohms
I ≈ 8 amps

Based on your calculations, it seems that your answer of 8 amps is correct. However, the answer sheet states that the answer is 6 amps. It's possible that there was a mistake in the answer sheet, or there might be additional information or considerations given in the question that lead to a different answer.

c) To find the current through one of the 10.0 ohm resistors, you need to consider that they are connected in parallel. When resistors are connected in parallel, the total resistance is given by the formula:

1/R_total = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + ...

For two resistors in parallel, this becomes:

1/R_total = 1/R1 + 1/R2

Let's denote the current through one of the 10.0 ohm resistors as I_10. Using Ohm's Law, the current through the 15.0 ohm resistor is also I_10.

From the previous calculation, the current through the 15.0 ohm resistor is approximately 8 amps. Since the current flowing through the 10.0 ohm resistors is the same, we have:

I_10 = I ≈ 8 amps

Therefore, the answer should be 8 amps, not 3 amps as mentioned in the answer sheet.

b) To find the current through the 15.0 ohm resistor, you need to use Ohm's Law, which states that the current (I) flowing through a resistor is equal to the voltage (V) across the resistor divided by its resistance (R): I = V/R.

So, in this case, the voltage across the 15.0 ohm resistor is 120 V, and its resistance is 15.0 ohms. Thus, the current through the 15.0 ohm resistor is I = 120 V / 15.0 ohms = 8 amps.

However, if the answer sheet says the answer is 6 amps, there might be an error in the answer sheet or in the problem itself. Please double-check the problem or consult with your instructor to clarify.

c) To find the current through one of the 10.0 ohm resistors, you first need to find the total resistance of the parallel combination of the two 10.0 ohm resistors. The formula for calculating the total resistance of two resistors in parallel is given as:

1/RTotal = 1/R1 + 1/R2,

where R1 and R2 are the resistances of the individual resistors.

In this case, R1 = R2 = 10.0 ohms. Substituting the values into the formula, we have:

1/RTotal = 1/10.0 ohms + 1/10.0 ohms = 2/10.0 ohms,

Simplifying further, we get:

1/RTotal = 2/10.0 ohms = 0.2 ohms.

To find RTotal, we invert the equation:

RTotal = 1 / (0.2 ohms) = 5.0 ohms.

Now that you have the total resistance, you can find the current through one of the 10.0 ohm resistors by using Ohm's Law. The voltage across the parallel combination of the two 10.0 ohm resistors is also 120 V (since they are in parallel with the voltage source). So, the current can be calculated as:

I = V/RTotal = 120 V / 5.0 ohms = 24 amps.

Since there are two 10.0 ohm resistors in parallel, the current is divided equally between them. Thus, the current through one of the 10.0 ohm resistors is:

I_individual = 24 amps / 2 = 12 amps.

Therefore, the current through one of the 10.0 ohm resistors is 12 amps, not 3 amps as stated in the answer sheet.