The Physics Question Bank

In a parallel circuit, the current has more than one route to take.

Each extra branch gives the charge another pathway through the circuit.

This means more charge can flow each second from the cell or power supply.

If more current flows for the same potential difference, the overall resistance must be lower.

So, when resistors are added in parallel, the total resistance goes down.

This is why the total resistance is always smaller than the smallest individual resistor.

For example, if a 6 Ω resistor and a 12 Ω resistor are connected in parallel, the total resistance is less than 6 Ω.

A simple way to remember it:

series = one route, so resistance increases

parallel = more routes, so resistance decreases

AQA GCSE 3 mark answer

In a parallel circuit, each branch provides another route for the current. This allows more charge to flow each second from the supply. Therefore, the total resistance is lower than the smallest resistor because the circuit has less opposition to the flow of charge.