In a parallel circuit with resistors 6 Ω and 3 Ω, what is the total resistance?

• A. 3 Ω
• B. 6 Ω
• C. 2 Ω
• D. 9 Ω

Answer: (C)

In a parallel circuit, resistors share the same voltage and the total resistance is found by adding the reciprocals of each resistance, then taking the reciprocal of that sum. For 6 Ω and 3 Ω, 1/R_total = 1/6 + 1/3 = 1/6 + 2/6 = 3/6 = 1/2, so R_total = 2 Ω. This makes sense because parallel paths provide more routes for current, lowering the overall resistance, and the total must be smaller than the smallest individual resistor. The other values would come from different configurations (like series, which would add to 9 Ω), not this parallel setup.