Several electric bulbs designed to be used on a \(220 \mathrm{~V}\) electric supply line, are rated \(10 \mathrm{~W}\). How many lamps can be connected in parallel with each other across the two wires of \(220 \mathrm{~V}\) line if the maximum allowable current is \(5 \mathrm{~A}\) ?

Electric current is the flow of electric charge through a conductor, like a wire. It's measured in amperes (A). Think of it like water flowing through a pipe: more current means more flow of electricity.
In a parallel circuit, each component (like our bulbs) has its own path to the power source. This means each bulb gets the full voltage supplied by the power source.
This is different from a series circuit, where all components share the same path and the voltage is divided among them. In our exercise, each bulb draws the same current because each one gets the full 220 V. The total current in the circuit is just the sum of the currents through all the bulbs.

Ohm's Law is a fundamental principle in electricity. It relates voltage (V), current (I), and resistance (R) in an electrical circuit. The law is given by the formula: \(V = IR\).
This means that voltage equals current times resistance. In our exercise, we're using a version of Ohm's Law to calculate the current drawn by each bulb. By rearranging the formula to solve for current, we get: \(I = \frac{P}{V}\), where P is power in watts (W) and V is voltage in volts (V).
Plugging in the bulb's power (10 W) and voltage (220 V), we find that each bulb draws 0.045 A of current. This is a direct application of Ohm's Law to understand how much current each bulb uses.

Power in an electric circuit is the rate at which energy is used or consumed. It's measured in watts (W). The power formula, \(P = VI\), helps us understand how voltage and current relate to the power consumed.
For our bulbs, each one has a power rating of 10 W, meaning it uses 10 watts of power when connected to a 220 V source.
To calculate how many bulbs we can safely connect in parallel, we need to ensure the total current does not exceed the 5 A limit. By knowing each bulb uses 0.045 A, we can divide the total allowable current (5 A) by the current per bulb (0.045 A). This tells us that we can connect up to 111 bulbs in parallel.
It's important to round down to the nearest whole number because we can't have a fraction of a bulb. Power calculations help ensure that we design circuits that won't overload and cause problems like blown fuses or overheating.