Why Does a Low Resistance Light Bulb Shine Brighter?

Question:

Why does a low resistance light bulb shine brighter than a high resistance light bulb?

Answer:

The low resistance bulb is brighter.

When a low resistance light bulb and a high resistance light bulb are connected in parallel with each other, the bulb with low resistance will shine brighter. This is because the brightness of a bulb is determined by both the voltage across the bulb and the current flowing through it.

According to Ohm's law, which states that V = I x R, where V is voltage, I is current, and R is resistance, the current flowing through a conductor increases as the resistance decreases at a fixed voltage.

Since the low resistance bulb allows a larger flow of current compared to the high resistance bulb at the same voltage, it shines brighter. Therefore, in a parallel combination with a battery in series, the low resistance bulb will be the brighter one.

Let's break it down further:

• Consider the low resistance bulb as bulb 1 and the high resistance bulb as bulb 2 (R1 < R2).
• The power dissipated in bulb 1 (P1 = V^2 / R1) is greater than the power dissipated in bulb 2 (P2 = V^2 / R2).
• Therefore, the low resistance bulb shines brighter due to its lower resistance.

So, if you're wondering why the low resistance light bulb shines brighter, now you know the science behind it!