What is the total resistance in series circuits?

What is the total resistance in series circuits?

• A. The reciprocal of the sum
• B. The product of the resistors
• C. The sum of the individual resistors
• D. The difference of the resistors

Answer: (C)

In series circuits, the total resistance is the sum of the individual resistances. The same current flows through every component, so each resistor adds its opposition to the overall path, giving R_total = R1 + R2 + ... + Rn. This also means adding more resistors in series increases the total resistance, which reduces the current for a given supply voltage (I = V / R_total). For example, a 5 Ω resistor and a 7 Ω resistor in series give 12 Ω total. The reciprocal of the sum describes parallel combinations, while a product or a difference doesn’t match how resistances combine in a single path.

In series circuits, the total resistance is the sum of the individual resistances. The same current flows through every component, so each resistor adds its opposition to the overall path, giving R_total = R1 + R2 + ... + Rn. This also means adding more resistors in series increases the total resistance, which reduces the current for a given supply voltage (I = V / R_total). For example, a 5 Ω resistor and a 7 Ω resistor in series give 12 Ω total. The reciprocal of the sum describes parallel combinations, while a product or a difference doesn’t match how resistances combine in a single path.