In an electrical circuit, what does an increase in resistance typically lead to?

In an electrical circuit, an increase in resistance generally leads to a decrease in current. This is a consequence of Ohm's Law, which is expressed as ( V = I \times R ), where ( V ) is the voltage, ( I ) is the current, and ( R ) is the resistance.

When resistance increases while voltage remains constant, the current flowing through the circuit must decrease to maintain the equality defined by Ohm's Law. For instance, if a resistor in a circuit is changed to a higher value, with the supply voltage unchanged, the amount of current flowing through that resistor will drop. Thus, the relationship existing between voltage, current, and resistance indicates that higher resistance directly correlates with lower current.

This principle can be visualized in practical situations like a water pipe; if the pipe (representing resistance) becomes narrower, regardless of the pressure (voltage), the flow rate (current) of water will decrease. Therefore, an increase in resistance will indeed lead to a decreased current in the circuit.