Voltage drop and current through each resistor

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the voltage drop and current through each resistor in a circuit that includes both parallel and series components. The original poster expresses confusion regarding the approach to take when dealing with a mixed circuit configuration.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to apply Ohm's law and the formulas for equivalent resistance in series and parallel circuits but is unsure how to proceed with a mixed circuit. They question whether to use the equivalent resistance calculated to find the total current and how to determine the voltage drop and current through each resistor.

Discussion Status

Some participants provide guidance on calculating the current through specific resistors and suggest that the current will split in the parallel branches. There is also a note about the importance of clear figures for conveying information, indicating that the original poster's sketch may have led to misunderstandings regarding the circuit's voltage.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of a voltage value that appears to be misinterpreted due to the legibility of the original figure, which may affect the understanding of the circuit setup. The original poster's uncertainty about their understanding of circuits is also noted.

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Homework Statement


Determine the voltage drop and current through each resistor.
195f51d3e80c33278adbb400fac60146.png


*This is just my sketch of the problem since I couldn't take a clear picture of it.

Homework Equations


Ohm's law
V= IR

Parallel total resistance
Req=1/R1+1/R2+1/R3+...

Series total resistance
Req=R1+R2+R3+...

The Attempt at a Solution



I'm having troubles understand what I should do when there's more than just a parallel or series in a circuit.

If this were just a parallel problem then I would simply add up the resistors using the Req=1/R1+1/R2+1/R3+... equation and since I know that voltage is the same across a parallel circuit then I could simply solve for the total current (Ieq) by rearranging Ohm's law Ieq=V/Req from there I can figure out voltage drop and current through every resistor using V1=IeqR1, V2=IeqR2,... and I1=V/R1, I2=V/R2,...

I would follow the same steps in a series circuit problem with the exception being that I would use Req=R1+R2+R3... instead of Req=1/R1+1/R2+1/R3+...

Now, with my problem, I have both parallel and series. How should I go about doing this?

I tried simplifying the circuit down and got an Req=14.6 ohms with the Voltage still being 10 volts. In this case would I use this Req value to calculate Ieq and just use that for the voltage drop and then just divide voltage by every resistor to figure out the current through each?

Maybe I don't understand circuits correctly. I'm not sure. Any help/explanation is very much appreciated!
 
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With the equivalent resistance you can calculate the current through the 6 ohm resistor and the parallel combination (the current would split up through the two branches of the parallel combination though).
That means you can calculate the voltage over the 6 ohm resistor and the total voltage over the two parallel branches.
 
Last edited:
Welcome to Physics Forums.

A suggestion: When posting figures, you should use sufficient resolution so that the figure easily conveys all of the information. The values in your figure are simply not legible. For example, I would not have guessed the DC voltage to be 10 V - as you stated.
 
TomHart said:
The values in your figure are simply not legible.
+1 on that
For example, I would not have guessed the DC voltage to be 10 V - as you stated.
Neither would I since it clearly says 20v in the figure
 
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