In a parallel circuit, which statement is true about the voltages across branches?

• A. Current is the same in all branches.
• B. Voltage is the same across all branches.
• C. Voltage varies from branch to branch.
• D. Total resistance equals the sum of branch resistances.

Answer: (B)

In a parallel circuit, all branches are connected across the same two nodes, so they share the same potential difference from the source. That means the voltage across each branch is the same, even though the currents in the branches can differ because I = V/R for each branch. The current splits according to each branch’s resistance, so a branch with smaller resistance draws more current, and a branch with larger resistance draws less, while the voltage stays fixed across every branch. The total resistance in parallel isn’t found by summing the branch resistances; instead, 1/R_total equals the sum of 1/R_i, making the overall resistance smaller than any individual branch.