Circuit vocabulary

Question 1

Tom connects a 9‑V battery to a small lamp with a switch. In a second test he puts a resistor in series with the lamp. Which explanation correctly uses the words current, voltage, and resistance to describe what happens to the lamp when the switch is closed after the resistor is added?

Accepted Answer

The battery still provides the same voltage, but the resistor limits the amount of current that can flow, so less current reaches the lamp and it glows dimmer.

Answer

The resistor uses up some of the battery’s voltage, so the voltage across the lamp becomes smaller while the current stays the same, making the lamp dimmer.

Answer

Adding the resistor increases the resistance, which creates extra voltage; the larger voltage makes the current bigger, but the lamp gets dimmer because resistance blocks light.

Answer

When the resistor is added, the current is stopped completely, so no voltage reaches the lamp and it turns off.

Question 2

Mia builds a simple circuit that has a 6 V battery, a light bulb, and a switch. When the switch is closed, the bulb shines brightly. She then places a piece of thick wire that she calls a “resistor” in series with the bulb. After closing the switch again, the bulb becomes dimmer. Which statement best explains what happens, using the terms current, voltage, and resistance correctly?

Accepted Answer

The resistor increases the total resistance of the circuit, which reduces the current flowing from the battery; the battery still supplies 6 V, but because less current reaches the bulb, it glows dimmer.

Answer

The resistor uses up some of the battery’s voltage, so less voltage reaches the bulb, making it dimmer, while the current stays the same.

Answer

Adding the resistor creates a second path for the current, so the current splits and each part is weaker, causing the bulb to dim.

Answer

The resistor blocks all the voltage, so the bulb receives no voltage and stops working; the current is completely stopped.

Question 3

Which statement correctly describes the difference between a series circuit and a parallel circuit?

Accepted Answer

In a series circuit the components are connected end‑to‑end so the same current flows through each and the source voltage is divided among them; in a parallel circuit each component is connected across the same two points so each gets the full source voltage and the total current is the sum of the currents in the branches.

Answer

In a series circuit each component receives the full battery voltage, while in a parallel circuit the voltage is split among the components.

Answer

In a series circuit the current splits at each component, whereas in a parallel circuit the same current passes through all components.

Answer

In a series circuit, if one component stops working the whole circuit stops; in a parallel circuit, if one component stops, the other components still work but the total voltage is reduced.

Try three questions

Tom connects a 9‑V battery to a small lamp with a switch. In a second test he puts a resistor in series with the lamp. Which explanation correctly uses the words current, voltage, and resistance to describe what happens to the lamp when the switch is closed after the resistor is added?

Which statement correctly describes the difference between a series circuit and a parallel circuit?

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