Can you help decipher this circuit and calculate the voltage?

[rkum99]

Homework Statement

[/B]
https://wcl.unr.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-634340-dt-content-rid-2875167_1/xid-2875167_1

So I am given the above image, and I am told to calculate the voltage in the circuit.

Homework Equations

V = IR
R_net = (1/R_1 + 1/R_2 + ... + 1/R_n)^-1 for parallel resistors

3. The Attempt at a Solution

So with a lot of these sort of problems, my biggest challenge is redrawing the circuit into something that I can more intuitively understand. However, I'm having a fair bit of trouble understanding what exactly is going on here - would the open wires with no resistors produce short circuits?

Once I can find the net resistance, the problem is straightforward: V = IR and plug and chug.

Turns out that if I treat all three resistors as in parallel I get the right answer, but I can't figure out how the above diagram could be converted into a simple 3 resistors in parallel.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[NascentOxygen]

https://wcl.unr.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-634340-dt-content-rid-2875167_1/xid-2875167_1

Your image is not available, access requires a password.

 

[rkum99]

Hopefully this link works: http://i.imgur.com/jSpiJTS.jpg

 

[gneill]

Hopefully this link works: http://i.imgur.com/jSpiJTS.jpg

It is preferable to UPLOAD an image and make it visible in the thread so that helpers do not have to follow a link in order to see it.

 

[cnh1995]

Remove the middle 30Ω. What do you get?

 

[NascentOxygen]

Turns out that if I treat all three resistors as in parallel I get the right answer, but I can't figure out how the above diagram could be converted into a simple 3 resistors in parallel.

Starting at terminal 'a', use different coloured pencils to trace each independent path that current can follow to get to 'b'.