- #1
PhizKid
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Homework Statement
The resistances:
Ra = 10 ohm
Rb = 10 ohm
Rc = 10 ohm
Rd = 8 ohm
Battery = 10 volts
Voltage across detector = ?
Homework Equations
V = IR
(series) R = R1 + R2 + ...
(parallel) 1 / R = (1/R1) + (1/R2) + ...
The Attempt at a Solution
So to get the voltage, I need to find the total resistance and current. I tried to simplify the problem by calculating Ra and Rb in parallel, Rc and Rd in parallel, then adding up these resistances in series. So I get the total resistance to be:
Ra + Rb = ##\frac{1}{\frac{1}{10} + \frac{1}{10}}= 5## ohm
Rc + Rd = ##\frac{1}{\frac{1}{8} + \frac{1}{10}} = \frac{40}{9}## ohm
Ra + Rb + Rc + Rd = ##5 + \frac{40}{9} = \frac{85}{9}## ohm
So to get the current, I use V/R = I
Since battery is 10V:
##\frac{10}{\frac{85}{9}} = \frac{18}{17}A##
So now I need to find the voltage through this resistance, but V = RI doesn't work because I just get back the total voltage from the battery. Not sure what else to do here