In a series circuit, what does the applied voltage equal?

In a series circuit, the applied voltage is indeed equal to the sum of the voltage drops across all the resistors. This principle arises from Kirchhoff's Voltage Law, which states that the total voltage around a closed circuit loop must equal zero.

In practical terms, when you have multiple resistors connected in series, each resistor causes a voltage drop proportional to its resistance according to Ohm's Law, which states that Voltage (V) = Current (I) × Resistance (R). Since the same current flows through all components in a series circuit, the total applied voltage is the accumulation of the individual voltage drops across each of the resistors. Thus, if you sum all of the voltage drops (V1 + V2 + V3 + ... + Vn), that total will equal the voltage supplied by the source.

This relationship is crucial to understanding how series circuits operate, as it illustrates how voltage is distributed among components rather than just being represented by a single value or by the characteristics of individual resistors alone. Options referencing only total current times total resistance, the total resistance or maximum voltage drop from a single resistor do not accurately capture this fundamental behavior of series circuits.