USCG Exam PracticeDC circuits and electronic principles
A shipboard distribution panel supplies several branch circuits, each drawing 5 A. As additional branch circuits are energized, the total current drawn from the source increases while the voltage across each branch remains constant. Which circuit law best explains this behavior?
- A. Kirchhoff's voltage law — the sum of voltage drops around each loop equals the source voltage.
- ✓ Kirchhoff's current law — total source current equals the sum of all branch currents in a parallel circuit.Correct
- C. Ohm's law applied to a series circuit — adding resistors reduces total current.
- D. The voltage divider rule — each new branch takes a proportional share of the source voltage.
Why B is correct
Shipboard loads are wired in parallel. Kirchhoff's current law states that total current at the source equals the sum of all branch currents (It = I1 + I2 + I3…). Each branch sees the same voltage; adding branches increases total current without changing branch voltage. (NEETS Mod. 1 §3-3)
Cited:NEETS Mod. 1 §3-3