The lamps in a string of decorative lights are connected in parallel across a constant-voltage power source. What happens if one lamp burns out? (Assume negligible resistance in the wires leading to the lamps.)

Question

The lamps in a string of decorative lights are connected in parallel across a constant-voltage power source.  What happens if one lamp burns out?  (Assume negligible resistance in the wires leading to the lamps.)

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Consider the setup: a string of lamps connected in parallel across a constant-voltage power source. Each lamp has its own direct path to the supply, so the voltage across every lamp remains essentially the same regardless of what happens in the other branches.

Option 1 says the other lamps get brighter equally. This would require a higher supply voltage or reduced total resistance that redistributes current to the remaining lamps, which isn’t the case here because the supply is constant-voltage and the wires are assumed to have negligible resistance; removing one branch does not increase the voltage across the others.

Option 2 claims the other lamps get dimmer, but some get dimmer than others. In a true parallel circuit with a constant source and identical lamps, removing one lamp does not cause any of the remaining lamps to dim differently from one another since each branch experiences the same supply voltage and their resistances are unchanged.

Option 3 states the brightness of the lamps will not change appreciably. This aligns with the parallel-branch behavior: with a fixed supply voltage, each lamp’s brightness depends on its own resistance and voltage, and removing one lamp does not alter the voltage across the remaining lamps, so their brightness stays essentially the same.

Option 4 suggests the remaining lamps get brighter, with some getting brighter than others. There is no mechanism in a constant-voltage parallel network that would cause the remaining lamps to brighten when another lamp fails, absent changes in voltage or wiring resistance.

Option 5 posits the other lamps get dimmer equally. In parallel, removing a lamp does not reduce the current through the other branches in a way that would lower their brightness, given negligible wire resistance and constant source voltage.

Overall, the only statement that matches the physics of parallel-connected lamps with a constant-voltage source is that the brightness of the remaining lamps does not change appreciably.

PHYSICS 1201 SU2025 (10585) Final Exam- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

The lamps in a string of decorative lights are connected in parallel across a constant-voltage power source. What happens if one lamp burns out? (Assume negligible resistance in the wires leading to the lamps.)

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PHYSICS 1201 SU2025 (10585) Final Exam- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

The lamps in a string of decorative lights are connected in parallel across a constant-voltage power source. What happens if one lamp burns out? (Assume negligible resistance in the wires leading to the lamps.)

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

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