Find the equivalent resistance between two ends of the following circuit: % Circuit Description The circuit consists of three resistors, two of in series connected in parallel with another resistor of .
- A
- B
- C
- D
Find the equivalent resistance between two ends of the following circuit: % Circuit Description The circuit consists of three resistors, two of in series connected in parallel with another resistor of .
Correct answer:C
Standard Method
Given: The circuit consists of three resistors. Two resistors of value are in series, and this series combination is connected in parallel with another resistor of .
Find: The equivalent resistance between the two ends.
From the description, the two series resistors give
This is in parallel with the resistor . Therefore,
So,
However, the solution explicitly concludes that all three resistors of value are effectively in parallel, giving
Hence,
The solution states the final answer is . This matches option C. There is a discrepancy between the question text description and the solution-page conclusion, and the answer is taken from the solution as required.
Using the extracted solution-page conclusion
Given: the solution labels the correct option as D, but both solution approaches conclude the final equivalent resistance is .
Find: The option corresponding to the concluded resistance.
From the first approach,
with
so
and therefore
Now compare with the options:
The concluded value corresponds to option C. Therefore, the correct option is C.
Treating the two resistors as parallel instead of series. This is wrong because the description explicitly places those two resistors in series on one branch. First combine the series branch correctly, then apply the parallel formula.
Trusting the displayed option letter without checking the worked result. This is wrong here because the solution shows a mismatch: it prints one option letter but derives . Always match the final derived value with the listed options.
Adding resistances directly across parallel branches. This is wrong because parallel combinations must be handled through reciprocals or the product-over-sum formula. Use for parallel branches.
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