Find the current through resistors wired in parallel

a. Equivalent resistance Rp of two resistors R1 and R2 connected in parallel is given by 1/Rp = 1/R1 + 1/R2.

1/Rp = 1/120 + 1/60
1/Rp = 1/40
Rp = 40 ohms

So, current delivered by the battery = I = V/Rp = 20 V / 40 ohm = 0.5 A

In the parallel circuit, the voltage across the two resistors is same, so the voltage across each resistors is 20 V. By applying ohm's law,

b. I1 = V/R1 = 20V / 120 ohm = 0.1667 A

c. I2 = V/R2 = 20V / 60 ohm = 0.3333 A

We also can verify that the total current I = I1 + I2 = 0.5 A.

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