Which statement best describes the relationship between branch currents and total current?

Which statement best describes the relationship between branch currents and total current?

• A. The total current equals any single branch current
• B. The total current is independent of branch currents
• C. The total current equals the sum of all branch currents
• D. The total current is the difference between the two largest branch currents

Answer: (C)

In circuits with branching, the total current from the source is the sum of the currents in each branch. Charge cannot accumulate at a junction, so the current that enters a node must equal the current that leaves through all branches. If one branch carries I1 and another carries I2, the source supplies I = I1 + I2 (and more branches simply add their currents to the total). This is why the total current is the sum of all branch currents. The other ideas aren’t correct because a single branch current isn’t the whole story, the total current depends on how the current splits among the branches, and currents aren’t subtracted to form the total.

In circuits with branching, the total current from the source is the sum of the currents in each branch. Charge cannot accumulate at a junction, so the current that enters a node must equal the current that leaves through all branches. If one branch carries I1 and another carries I2, the source supplies I = I1 + I2 (and more branches simply add their currents to the total). This is why the total current is the sum of all branch currents.

The other ideas aren’t correct because a single branch current isn’t the whole story, the total current depends on how the current splits among the branches, and currents aren’t subtracted to form the total.