BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

In a parallel circuit, the total resistance decreases as more resistors are added to the circuit. This is distinct from series circuits, where the total resistance is simply the sum of the individual resistances. In the case of parallel circuits, the formula for total resistance is given by the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of each individual resistance. This can be expressed mathematically as:

1/R_total = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3 + ...

From this formula, it can be observed that the total resistance is always less than the smallest individual resistance present in the circuit. As a result, adding more resistors in parallel leads to a lower total resistance.

This relationship emphasizes that the presence of multiple pathways for current flow in parallel arrangements allows current to bypass higher resistance pathways, effectively lowering the overall resistance when compared to any single resistor in the circuit. Thus, the total resistance being smaller than the smallest resistance aligns well with the characteristics of parallel circuits.