three resistors of 10, 15, and 20 ohms are connected in parallel to a source of current.
In which resistor is the current greatest
How do I set this up?
current greatest? in the lowest resistance.
To determine the resistor in which the current is greatest, we need to first understand how resistors behave when they are connected in parallel.
When resistors are connected in parallel, the total resistance (R_total) is calculated using the formula:
1/R_total = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3 + ...
So, in this case, if we have three resistors with values of 10, 15, and 20 ohms, the formula becomes:
1/R_total = 1/10 + 1/15 + 1/20
Now, to find the current flowing through each resistor, we need to apply 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
Assuming the source of current provides a constant voltage, the current flowing through each resistor will be inversely proportional to the resistance. So, the resistor with the smallest resistance will have the greatest current flowing through it.
Therefore, in this case, the resistor with the resistance of 10 ohms will have the greatest current flowing through it since it has the smallest resistance among the three resistors.