Two identical heating coils are connected to a constant-voltage line. To get the largest amount of heat per minute, the coils should be connected
A) in series because four times as much heat per minute will be dissipated as in the parallel combination.
B) in series because twice as much heat per minute will be dissipated as in the parallel combination.
C) either in series or in parallel; they will dissipate the same amount of heat per minute.
D) in parallel because twice as much heat per minute will be dissipated as in the series combination.
E) in parallel because four times as much heat per minute will be dissipated as in the series combination.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When two identical heating coils are connected in parallel, the total resistance of the circuit decreases, leading to an increase in the total current drawn from the power source. This results in a higher power consumption (and thus more heat dissipation) compared to when the coils are connected in series. The power dissipated in a resistive circuit is given by $P = \frac{V^2}{R}$, where $V$ is the voltage and $R$ is the resistance. In parallel, the effective resistance is halved, leading to a quadrupling of the power dissipation compared to the series configuration, where the resistance is doubled.

Two Identical Heating Coils Are Connected to a Constant-Voltage Line