Electrician's Licensing Practice Exam

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Prepare for the Electrician's Licensing Test with comprehensive multiple choice questions and hints. Improve your knowledge, skills, and confidence to excel in your exam!

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If the voltage is doubled and the resistance is halved, what happens to the current?

It doubles
It halves
It stays the same
It increases exponentially

The correct answer is: It stays the same

To determine how the current changes when the voltage is doubled and the resistance is halved, we can use Ohm's Law, which states that current (I) is equal to voltage (V) divided by resistance (R), or I = V/R. When the voltage is doubled, we can represent this as 2V. Simultaneously, when the resistance is halved, we can represent this as R/2. Plugging these values into Ohm’s Law gives: I' = (2V) / (R/2) This simplifies as follows: I' = (2V) * (2/R) = (4V/R) So, the new current (I') is four times the original current (I). This means that when the voltage is doubled and the resistance is halved, the current actually increases, specifically, it quadruples. Given this analysis, it is clear that the claim that the current stays the same is incorrect, as the changes in voltage and resistance result in a substantial increase in current, demonstrating how electrical parameters interact in accordance with Ohm's Law.