The Impact of a Burnt Out Light Bulb in a Parallel Circuit
What happens to a circuit if one of the light bulbs burns out in a parallel circuit?
A. Total resistance increases, other bulbs get brighter
B. Total resistance increases, other bulbs get dimmer
C. Total resistance increases, brightness of other bulbs does not change
D. All the bulbs go out
E. Total resistance decreases, other bulbs get brighter
F. Total resistance decreases, other bulbs get dimmer
G. Total resistance decreases, brightness of other bulbs does not change
Answer:
If one of the light bulbs burns out, the total resistance of the circuit increases, causing the other bulbs to get dimmer. The circuit would not be broken if one of the bulbs burns out. This is the effect of a parallel circuit when one component fails. Therefore, the correct answer is option B.
In a parallel circuit, each device operates independently. As a result, if one component fails, it does not cause the others to stop working. However, since the resistance of each bulb is fixed, the total resistance of the circuit decreases as bulbs are added.
When a bulb burns out, the resistance of the circuit rises, making the other bulbs dimmer. Because the current in a parallel circuit is divided among the components, the current flowing through each remaining bulb would decrease if one bulb burns out.
So, if one bulb fails, the voltage across it would drop, and it would get dimmer. That's why in a parallel circuit the bulbs are installed in parallel to ensure that they function independently of each other. So, option B is the correct answer.