Three light bulbs are connected in parallel to a 12 V battery. Each bulb has a resistance of 14 Ω. What is the total voltage of the circuit?

Three light bulbs are connected in parallel to a 12 V battery. Each bulb has a resistance of 14 Ω. What is the total voltage of the circuit?

• A. 12 V
• B. 6 V
• C. 18 V
• D. 24 V

Answer: (A)

When components are connected in parallel to a voltage source, the full source voltage appears across each branch. Here, the battery provides 12 V and each bulb is directly across that battery, so every bulb experiences 12 volts. Therefore, the total voltage of the circuit is 12 V. If you think in terms of currents, each bulb draws I = V/R = 12/14 ≈ 0.857 A, so the total current from the battery is about 2.57 A. The key idea is that in parallel the voltage stays the same across all branches, while the currents add.

When components are connected in parallel to a voltage source, the full source voltage appears across each branch. Here, the battery provides 12 V and each bulb is directly across that battery, so every bulb experiences 12 volts. Therefore, the total voltage of the circuit is 12 V.

If you think in terms of currents, each bulb draws I = V/R = 12/14 ≈ 0.857 A, so the total current from the battery is about 2.57 A. The key idea is that in parallel the voltage stays the same across all branches, while the currents add.