# Explain why adding a second lamp in parallel with the first lamp in a circuit causes the current drawn from the battery to increase, whilst the voltage across each lamp remains the same.

> OCR GCSE Physics A: Gateway Science (J249) — P3.2 Simple circuits · Explain · 4 marks

> A torch is modified so that a second identical lamp is connected in parallel with the original lamp, both connected to the same battery.

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. In a parallel circuit, each lamp is connected directly across the battery, so each lamp receives the full battery voltage
2. Adding a second lamp in parallel provides an additional path for current to flow
3. The overall/total resistance of the circuit decreases when a second lamp is added in parallel
4. Because the battery voltage stays the same but the total resistance decreases, the total current from the battery increases

## Key terms

- [voltage](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/voltage)
- [current](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/current)

## Related

- [Revision notes for OCR GCSE Physics A: Gateway Science (J249)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/explain-why-adding-a-second-lamp-278827a2) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.