Calculating Minimum Resistance in a Household Circuit

Understanding the Calculation

Ohm's Law: Ohm's Law states that the current flowing through a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage applied across the circuit and inversely proportional to the resistance of the circuit. The formula is I = V/R, where I is the current, V is the voltage, and R is the resistance.

The given circuit has a circuit breaker that opens if the current exceeds 12 amps. To prevent the circuit breaker from activating, the current must be at or below 12 amps. The voltage of the household circuit is 120 volts.

By rearranging Ohm's Law formula to solve for resistance, R = V/I, we can calculate the minimum resistance required. Plugging in the values, we get R = 120 volts / 12 amps = 10 ohms. Therefore, the minimum resistance needed to keep the circuit breaker from tripping is 10 ohms.