Two Resistors in Parallel

Typically, it is more convenient to consider only two resistors at a time because this setup occurs in common practice. Any number of resistors in a circuit can be broken down into pairs. Therefore, the most common method is to use the formula for two resistors in parallel.

Combining the terms in the denominator and rewriting

Put in words, this states that the total resistance for two resistors in parallel is equal to the product of both resistors divided by the sum of the two resistors. In the formula below, calculate the total resistance.