Cathodic Protection Tester Practice Exam

Which of the following characteristics is true for series circuits?

1. Total current is the same through all components.

2. Voltage is shared among components, opposite of parallel circuits.

3. Resistance decreases as more components are added.

4. Current can vary independently between components.

The correct answer is: Total current is the same through all components.

In series circuits, one of the defining characteristics is that the total current remains constant throughout all components connected in the circuit. This means that the same amount of current flows through each resistor or other device in the series. This occurs because there is only one path for the current to take; thus, every component receives the same flow of electric charge. Understanding this helps clarify the behavior of electrical circuits, especially when comparing series to parallel configurations. In a parallel circuit, the voltage across each component is the same, but the current can differ between components depending on their resistance. However, in a series arrangement, since the current is uniform, the voltage across each component will vary based on their resistive values, adding up to the total voltage supplied by the source. This concept is fundamental to analyzing circuits and is crucial for applications like cathodic protection systems, where understanding how electrical currents interact with various components helps in designing effective protective measures.