In a simple circuit with two components connected in series, the same current flows through both components.

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Multiple Choice

In a simple circuit with two components connected in series, the same current flows through both components.

In a series circuit there’s only one path for current to flow, so the same amount of charge must pass through each component in the loop. That means the current through the first component is identical to the current through the second, regardless of how their resistances compare. The total current is set by the source and the combined resistance, I = V / (R1 + R2), so varying Rx between the two elements changes how the voltage splits across them, not the current through them. It isn’t required that the resistances be equal, and it isn’t required that the supply be ideal for the current to be the same through both components. Even with non-ideal sources, the same loop current flows through all series elements; the internal resistance of the source would simply be part of the total resistance.

In a series circuit there’s only one path for current to flow, so the same amount of charge must pass through each component in the loop. That means the current through the first component is identical to the current through the second, regardless of how their resistances compare. The total current is set by the source and the combined resistance, I = V / (R1 + R2), so varying Rx between the two elements changes how the voltage splits across them, not the current through them.

It isn’t required that the resistances be equal, and it isn’t required that the supply be ideal for the current to be the same through both components. Even with non-ideal sources, the same loop current flows through all series elements; the internal resistance of the source would simply be part of the total resistance.

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