Nate Electrical Practice Exam 2025 - Free Electrical Practice Questions and Study Guide.

In a series circuit, total resistance is calculated by adding up all individual resistances. This is because in a series arrangement, the current flowing through each component is the same, and the total voltage across the entire circuit is the sum of the voltages across each resistor.

When you add the resistances together, you account for the cumulative effect that these resistors have on the overall flow of current. Mathematically, if you have resistors R1, R2, R3, ..., Rn in series, the total resistance (R_total) is expressed as:

R_total = R1 + R2 + R3 + ... + Rn

This principle is fundamental to understanding how series circuits operate and is crucial for calculations involving voltage, current, and resistance in electrical circuits. In contrast, options involving multiplication, averaging, or selecting the largest do not appropriately represent how resistances interact in series circuits. Each resistance contributes to the total, necessitating a straightforward additive approach.