Question

Criticize the statement below on theoretical and experimental grounds. Be specific and precise. Refer to your own experiments, or describe any new experiments you perform: “A flashlight battery always puts out the same amount of current, no matter what is connected to it.”

Short answer

The provided statement is false. Current in a circuit changes with change in resistance.

Step-by-step solution

Given data

According to a statement: “A flashlight battery always puts out the same amount of current, no matter what is connected to it.”

Current in a circuit

The current in a circuit depends on the total resistance of the circuit. More the resistance, lesser the current.

Check of the provided statement

A battery can never put out the same amount of current if the load is changed. A battery can only provide a fixed amount of force into the electrons. While passing through each resistance, a part of the energy is lost. Thus the rate of flow decreases.

Hence more number of resistances reduces the current from the same battery. This can be tested by performing an experiment with a battery and multiple resistances. The current can be measured each time the resistance is changed. The observation will be change in current in each case.