Question

1. based on questions 2, 3, and 4, what happens to the current in a circuit as the resistance decreases? increases?

Explanation:

Step1: Recall Ohm's Law

Ohm's Law is \(I=\frac{V}{R}\), where \(I\) is current, \(V\) is voltage, and \(R\) is resistance. Assume voltage \(V\) is constant.

Step2: Analyze when resistance decreases

If \(R\) decreases (denote \(R_1 > R_2\)), then \(I_1=\frac{V}{R_1}\) and \(I_2=\frac{V}{R_2}\). Since \(R_1 > R_2\), \(\frac{V}{R_1}<\frac{V}{R_2}\), so current increases.

Step3: Analyze when resistance increases

If \(R\) increases (denote \(R_3 < R_4\)), then \(I_3=\frac{V}{R_3}\) and \(I_4=\frac{V}{R_4}\). Since \(R_3 < R_4\), \(\frac{V}{R_3}>\frac{V}{R_4}\), so current decreases.

Answer:

When the resistance decreases, the current increases. When the resistance increases, the current decreases.