Red Seal Electrician Practice
DC circuitsQuestion 704 of 1506

A series-parallel circuit has been reduced to one equivalent resistor and the total current is known. What is the next move?

  1. Replace the source with a short circuit and add up the currents in the loops
  2. Add all the original resistor values and divide by the source voltage
  3. Stop, because all values are known
  4. Work back through the reduction steps for each drop and current
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Correct answer: Work back through the reduction steps for each drop and current

The total values are placed in the last reduced circuit, and Ohm's Law gives the unknowns stage by stage back to the original circuit.

Source: Lessons in Electric Circuits I: DC (Kuphaldt), 7.2: Analysis Techniques for Series Parallel Resistor Circuits

Practice dc circuits

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026