In general, which arrangement yields the greatest total current from the battery for a set of resistors?

In general, which arrangement yields the greatest total current from the battery for a set of resistors?

• A. All resistors in parallel
• B. All resistors in series
• C. A single resistor in the circuit
• D. A mix of series and parallel with no clear pattern

Answer: (A)

Total current from the battery is determined by Ohm’s law: I = V / R_total. For a fixed voltage, the smaller the total resistance, the larger the current. Placing all resistors in parallel makes the equivalent resistance smaller than any individual resistor, and adding more parallel paths lowers R_total even further, so the current from the battery is maximized. In contrast, putting resistors in series increases the total resistance (it’s the sum), which lowers the current. A mixed arrangement gives a resistance value somewhere in between, producing an intermediate current. For a concrete sense, with a 12 V source, two 6 Ω resistors in parallel give R_total = 3 Ω and current = 4 A, while in series they give R_total = 12 Ω and current = 1 A.

Total current from the battery is determined by Ohm’s law: I = V / R_total. For a fixed voltage, the smaller the total resistance, the larger the current. Placing all resistors in parallel makes the equivalent resistance smaller than any individual resistor, and adding more parallel paths lowers R_total even further, so the current from the battery is maximized. In contrast, putting resistors in series increases the total resistance (it’s the sum), which lowers the current. A mixed arrangement gives a resistance value somewhere in between, producing an intermediate current. For a concrete sense, with a 12 V source, two 6 Ω resistors in parallel give R_total = 3 Ω and current = 4 A, while in series they give R_total = 12 Ω and current = 1 A.