If a branch opens in a parallel circuit, what happens to the other branches?

If a branch opens in a parallel circuit, what happens to the other branches?

• A. The entire circuit stops
• B. The other branches continue to operate
• C. Voltage doubles on remaining branches
• D. Current redistributed to remaining branches causing immediate failure

Answer: (B)

In a parallel circuit, each branch is connected across the same two points, so every branch experiences the same supply voltage. If one branch opens, no current flows through that branch, but the voltage across the remaining branches stays the same as the source. Those branches continue to operate, with their currents fixed by V and their own resistances (I = V/R). The total current drawn from the source decreases because one path is removed, and the overall equivalent resistance increases. The voltage across the remaining branches does not double, and there isn’t an immediate failure of the other branches—their operation simply continues under the same supply voltage, adjusted for the absence of the opened path.

In a parallel circuit, each branch is connected across the same two points, so every branch experiences the same supply voltage. If one branch opens, no current flows through that branch, but the voltage across the remaining branches stays the same as the source. Those branches continue to operate, with their currents fixed by V and their own resistances (I = V/R). The total current drawn from the source decreases because one path is removed, and the overall equivalent resistance increases. The voltage across the remaining branches does not double, and there isn’t an immediate failure of the other branches—their operation simply continues under the same supply voltage, adjusted for the absence of the opened path.