Question

Three incandescent bulbs of 100 W each are connected in series in an electric circuit. In another circuit another set of three bulbs of the same wattage are connected in parallel to the same source.
(a) Will the bulb in the two circuits glow with the same brightness? Justify your answer.
(b) Now let one bulb in both the circuits get fused. Will the rest of the bulbs continue to glow in each circuit? Give reason.

Answer 1

(a) No. The resistance of the bulbs in series will be three times the resistance of single bulb. Therefore, the current in the series combination will be one-third compared to current in each bulb in parallel combination. The parallel combination bulbs will glow more brightly.
(b) The bulbs in series combination will stop glowing as the circuit is broken and current is zero. However the bulbs in parallel combination shall continue to glow with the same brightness.