Which law is not used to relate current, voltage, power, and resistance in a series circuit?

• A. Coulomb's Law
• B. Ohm's Law
• C. Newton's Law
• D. Gauss's Law

Answer: (A)

Relating current, voltage, power, and resistance in a series circuit comes from Ohm's Law and the associated power formulas. Ohm's Law tells you V = IR, and from there you can find how current is the same through all components in a series, how voltages add up, and how power dissipated is P = VI = I^2R = V^2/R. Coulomb's Law describes the electrostatic force between charges, not how current, voltage, and resistance connect in a circuit, so it isn’t used for these relationships. Newton's Law covers mechanics, and Gauss's Law concerns electric fields and flux, not the simple circuit relationships among these quantities. So Coulomb's Law is the one not used to relate current, voltage, power, and resistance in a series circuit.