What is the effect of increasing voltage in a circuit with constant resistance?

• A. Current decreases
• B. Current increases
• C. Power decreases
• D. Resistance increases

Answer: (B)

Increasing the voltage in a circuit while keeping the resistance constant leads to an increase in current. This relationship is founded on Ohm's Law, which states that the current (I) through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage (V) across the two points and inversely proportional to the resistance (R) of the conductor. The formula is expressed as I = V/R.

When the voltage is raised and the resistance remains unchanged, the current must increase to maintain the equality represented by Ohm's Law. This means that with higher voltage, there is a greater driving force pushing the electrons through the circuit, resulting in a higher current flow.

While considering the other options: current cannot decrease since an increase in voltage leads to an increase in the flow of electrons, power is calculated as the product of voltage and current (P = V × I), and with both voltage and current increasing, power will also increase, not decrease. Lastly, resistance is a property of the circuit elements and does not change simply by adjusting the voltage.