The value of current I in the electrical circuit as given below, when potential at A is equal to the potential at B , will be ______ A.
Answer: 2
Solution
The circuit is a Wheatstone-bridge arrangement: one arm carries 10 Ω then 20 Ω (with node A between them), the parallel arm carries R then 40 Ω (with node B between them), and a 30 Ω resistor bridges A to B, all driven by a 40 V source.
When the potential at A equals the potential at B, the bridge is balanced, so no current flows through the 30 Ω bridge resistor, and the balance condition is
R10=4020⟹R=20Ω
With the bridge balanced, the 30 Ω arm carries no current and can be removed from the circuit for the purpose of finding the total current. The two remaining arms, (10+20)=30Ω and (R+40)=(20+40)=60Ω, are in parallel across the source:
Req=30+6030×60=20Ω
The total current drawn from the 40 V source is
I=ReqV=2040=2A
JEE Main · 2025 · 28 Jan 2025 · Shift 2 · Integer answer