When two bulbes with 25W and 100W rated at 220V are connected in series with a supply of 440V which will fuse?

1 answer

Answer

1255978

2026-05-17 19:30

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The 25w bulb, since it has the much higher resistance.



The resistance can be derived from:



P = V^2/R



R = V^2/P



For the 100w bulb:



R = 220^2/100 = 484 ohms



For the 25w bulb:



R = 220^2/25 = 1936 ohms



When connected in series, and then connected to 440V, the voltage across the 100w bulb would be:



V = 440*484/(484+1936) = 88V



This is well within spec.



The voltage across the 25w bulb would be:



V = 440*1936/(484+1936) = 352v



This is way over spec, and would cause the bulb to fuse.



Although this answer assumes that a light bulb is a linear resistor, they are not. The resistance of a light bulb changes significantly with voltage and filiament temperature. The 25w light bulb is still the one that fuses, but the non-linearity of the resistance needs to be understood.

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