Calculating Current Through Resistors in Loop Circuit

[Fire Slayer]

Homework Statement

Find the current through each resistor using the rules for series and parallel resistors and kirchhoff's rules

there is a loop circut with three resistors in parallel, two on top and one on bottom, then one more in series outside of it. It's all attached to a 15 volt cell

The Attempt at a Solution

I can't figure out how to find the different currents. Using the rules for series I can find a current through the whole thing, but not how much is running through each resistor. Help?

 

[jhicks]

What are the resistances of each resistor? Also, your word schematic of the circuit is unclear. If you combine all parallel resistors into equivalent single resistors so that you have a bunch of series resistors, you know by kirchhoffs current law that the current flowing through each of these equivalent resistances is the same. Use the voltage law to find the current through each parallel resistor.

 

[Moetasim]

I would suggest using Kirchhoff's laws to solve this problem. Kirchhoff's first law, also known as the law of conservation of charge, states that the total current entering a junction must equal the total current leaving the junction. This means that the current through each resistor in a parallel circuit will be equal to the total current through the circuit.

Next, you can use Kirchhoff's second law, also known as the loop rule, which states that the sum of the voltage drops around a closed loop must equal the voltage supplied. In this case, the loop includes the 15 volt cell and the resistors in series.

By applying these laws, you can create a system of equations to solve for the currents through each resistor. The current through the resistors in parallel will be equal, and the current through the resistor in series will be the difference between the total current and the current through the parallel resistors.

I would also recommend using the equations for calculating total resistance in a parallel and series circuit to help with solving the problem. Once you have found the total resistance and the total current, you can use Ohm's law (V=IR) to calculate the current through each resistor.

I hope this helps and good luck with your calculations! Remember to always double check your work and make sure your units are consistent.