What is the same in all parts of a series circuit?

What is the same in all parts of a series circuit?

• A. Current
• B. Voltage
• C. Resistance
• D. Power

Answer: (A)

Current stays the same through every part of a series circuit because there is only one path for the charges to take. The same amount of charge per second leaves the source and must pass through each component in turn, so the flow rate— the current—cannot change as it goes around the loop. Voltage is shared among the components in a series circuit. Each element uses part of the total voltage, and the drops add up to the source voltage. The amount of drop across a given component depends on its resistance, so larger resistances take larger voltage chunks even though the current is identical everywhere. Resistance in a series circuit adds up to give the total resistance, which is why the current is determined by the overall voltage and the total resistance, not by any single piece alone. Power for each component can differ, since power depends on both current and resistance (P = I^2 R); with the same current, higher-resistance parts dissipate more power.

Current stays the same through every part of a series circuit because there is only one path for the charges to take. The same amount of charge per second leaves the source and must pass through each component in turn, so the flow rate— the current—cannot change as it goes around the loop.

Voltage is shared among the components in a series circuit. Each element uses part of the total voltage, and the drops add up to the source voltage. The amount of drop across a given component depends on its resistance, so larger resistances take larger voltage chunks even though the current is identical everywhere.

Resistance in a series circuit adds up to give the total resistance, which is why the current is determined by the overall voltage and the total resistance, not by any single piece alone. Power for each component can differ, since power depends on both current and resistance (P = I^2 R); with the same current, higher-resistance parts dissipate more power.