A circuit is set up as shown in the diagram below. When the key is...

Explanation

The resistors are connected both in parallel and series. To calculate the total resistance, we have:

For the parallel connection: \(\frac{1}{R} = \frac{1}{1} + \frac{1}{1}\)

\(\frac{1}{R} = 2 \implies R = 0.5\Omega\)

For the series connection: \(R_{total} = (1 + 0.5)\Omega = 1.5\Omega\)

Recall, \(V=IR\)

\(3 = 1.5I \implies I = \frac{3}{1.5} =2A\)