For a parallel circuit with resistors R1 = 6 Ω and R2 = 3 Ω, what is R_total?

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Multiple Choice

For a parallel circuit with resistors R1 = 6 Ω and R2 = 3 Ω, what is R_total?

Explanation:
In a parallel circuit, resistors share the same voltage and the total resistance is smaller than any individual resistor because currents split across multiple paths. The combined resistance is found using the reciprocal sum: 1/R_total = 1/R1 + 1/R2. For R1 = 6 Ω and R2 = 3 Ω, 1/R_total = 1/6 + 1/3 = 1/6 + 2/6 = 3/6 = 1/2, so R_total = 2 Ω. This value is less than the smallest resistor (3 Ω), which is what we expect in parallel. The other numbers would not satisfy the parallel relationship for these values. The total resistance here is 2 Ω.

In a parallel circuit, resistors share the same voltage and the total resistance is smaller than any individual resistor because currents split across multiple paths. The combined resistance is found using the reciprocal sum: 1/R_total = 1/R1 + 1/R2.

For R1 = 6 Ω and R2 = 3 Ω, 1/R_total = 1/6 + 1/3 = 1/6 + 2/6 = 3/6 = 1/2, so R_total = 2 Ω. This value is less than the smallest resistor (3 Ω), which is what we expect in parallel.

The other numbers would not satisfy the parallel relationship for these values. The total resistance here is 2 Ω.

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