What is the total current flowing from the power source in a parallel circuit?

What is the total current flowing from the power source in a parallel circuit?

• A. Total current
• B. Individual branch currents
• C. Shared current
• D. Parallel currents

Answer: (A)

In a parallel circuit, the current drawn from the power source is the sum of the currents in each branch. Since the voltage across every branch is the same, each branch current is I_i = V_source / R_i, and the total current is I_total = I1 + I2 + I3 ... If you know the branch resistances, you can also find the total by first finding the equivalent resistance with 1/R_eq = sum(1/R_i) and then I_total = V_source / R_eq. The term "individual branch currents" refers to the currents in each path, not the overall draw from the source; the other labels aren’t standard ways to name the total current.

In a parallel circuit, the current drawn from the power source is the sum of the currents in each branch. Since the voltage across every branch is the same, each branch current is I_i = V_source / R_i, and the total current is I_total = I1 + I2 + I3 ... If you know the branch resistances, you can also find the total by first finding the equivalent resistance with 1/R_eq = sum(1/R_i) and then I_total = V_source / R_eq. The term "individual branch currents" refers to the currents in each path, not the overall draw from the source; the other labels aren’t standard ways to name the total current.