In a series circuit, how is voltage distributed across components?

In a series circuit, how is voltage distributed across components?

• A. The sum of voltages across components equals the supply
• B. The voltage across each component is the same
• C. There is no voltage drop across any component
• D. Each component has zero voltage

Answer: (A)

In a series circuit, the same current flows through every component, and the voltages across the components add up to the total supply voltage. Each component drops a voltage equal to I × R, so the distribution depends on each resistance: bigger resistance takes a larger share of the voltage, but all the drops together equal the source voltage. This is why the statement that the sum of the voltages across the components equals the supply voltage is the right one. The voltage across components isn’t necessarily the same (only if the resistances are equal), there is a voltage drop across each component in a closed loop, and you don’t get zero voltage drops unless there’s no resistance at all.

In a series circuit, the same current flows through every component, and the voltages across the components add up to the total supply voltage. Each component drops a voltage equal to I × R, so the distribution depends on each resistance: bigger resistance takes a larger share of the voltage, but all the drops together equal the source voltage. This is why the statement that the sum of the voltages across the components equals the supply voltage is the right one. The voltage across components isn’t necessarily the same (only if the resistances are equal), there is a voltage drop across each component in a closed loop, and you don’t get zero voltage drops unless there’s no resistance at all.