If five equal resistors dissipate a total of 10W in a series circuit, how much power does each resistor dissipate?
A)50W
B)10W
C)2W
D)5W

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In a series circuit, the current remains constant throughout the circuit. Therefore, the voltage drop across each resistor is different and depends on its resistance value. Using the formula P=VI and knowing that the current is the same for all the resistors, we can rewrite it as P=I^2R. Since the resistors are equal, we can divide the total power by the number of resistors to get the power dissipated by each resistor.

P_resistor = P_total / number of resistors
P_resistor = 10W / 5
P_resistor = 2W

If Five Equal Resistors Dissipate a Total of 10W in a Series