Current in a parallel circuit is divided among the branches.

• A. Parallel
• B. Series
• C. Open
• D. Complex

Answer: (A)

In a parallel circuit, current divides because there are multiple paths back to the source. The voltage across every branch is the same, so each branch carries current according to its own resistance via Ohm’s law (I = V/R). The total current drawn from the source is the sum of the currents in all branches (I_total = I1 + I2 + ...). This means branches with lower resistance draw more current, and adding more parallel paths lowers the overall resistance, increasing the total current while each branch still gets its share based on its resistance. In contrast, series circuits have the same current through all components, and an open circuit has no complete path for current in that branch.