As more components are added in series, what happens to total resistance?

As more components are added in series, what happens to total resistance?

• A. Oscillates
• B. Decreases
• C. Stays the same
• D. Increases

Answer: (D)

When components are in series, their resistances simply add up. The total resistance is the sum of each component’s resistance: R_total = R1 + R2 + R3 + ... . Adding another component with its own resistance increases that sum, so the overall resistance grows. This aligns with Ohm’s law (for a fixed voltage, I = V / R_total): higher R_total means less current, which matches the intuitive idea that more obstacles to current flow raise the total resistance. If the added component happened to have zero resistance, the total would stay the same, but with real components that have positive resistance, the total increases.

When components are in series, their resistances simply add up. The total resistance is the sum of each component’s resistance: R_total = R1 + R2 + R3 + ... . Adding another component with its own resistance increases that sum, so the overall resistance grows. This aligns with Ohm’s law (for a fixed voltage, I = V / R_total): higher R_total means less current, which matches the intuitive idea that more obstacles to current flow raise the total resistance. If the added component happened to have zero resistance, the total would stay the same, but with real components that have positive resistance, the total increases.