Why Is Current the Same in a Series Circuit?

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SUMMARY

The current in a series circuit remains constant across all components, regardless of their individual resistances, due to the single path available for electron flow. In a series circuit containing a 10 ohm resistor and a 15 ohm resistor, the total resistance dictates the overall current, while the voltage drop across each resistor varies according to their resistance values. This principle holds true in steady-state conditions, where the current stabilizes and remains equal throughout the circuit.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Ohm's Law
  • Basic knowledge of electrical circuits
  • Familiarity with series and parallel circuit configurations
  • Concept of voltage drop across resistors
NEXT STEPS
  • Study Ohm's Law in detail
  • Learn about Kirchhoff's Voltage Law
  • Explore the concept of total resistance in series circuits
  • Investigate the effects of varying resistor values on current and voltage
USEFUL FOR

Electronics students, electrical engineers, and hobbyists interested in understanding the fundamentals of series circuits and current flow.

Ed Quanta
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Why is current the same everywhere in a series circuit? If we have a series circuit with a 10 ohm resistor and a 15 ohm resistor, how is the current flowing through each resistor the same if they are resisting the flow of electrons to different degrees? How is the current in the wire which has even less resistance also equal to the current in the resistor?
 
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The simple answer is that there is only one path for the current to flow through. The total resistance is what would regulate the current.

It would be the voltage drop by each resistor that would vary according to the value of the resistors.
 
Let's begin saying that, only in the steady state, the current is the same.

Imagine that the 10 ohms resistor "refuses let pass the current coming from the 15 ohms resistor". The charges will cumulate and the voltage will grow so high that the current will be "forced" through the 10 resistor (even against its will). The charges stop growing or decreasing when the current is the same in the two resistors.
 

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