How do you find the total current in a circuit supplying three parallel loads, one resistive, one capacitive, and one inductive?

In a circuit with parallel loads, the total current is determined by summing the individual currents flowing through each parallel path. Each load—resistive, capacitive, and inductive—draws its own current, and these currents can be added algebraically due to the principles governing parallel circuits.

In a resistive load, the current is directly proportional to the voltage applied. For inductive and capacitive loads, the current may lead or lag the voltage, introducing phase differences. However, when summing the total current in a parallel circuit, you're interested in the actual currents flowing through each load separately; thus, calculating the total requires simply adding these currents together.

Option A, which suggests taking the square root of the sum of the squares of the currents, applies to situations involving phase angles and complex numbers in AC circuits, which would be relevant if asking for the total apparent current or total power. Option B indicates multiplying the individual currents, which isn't applicable in the context of combining currents in parallel. Option D, averaging the currents, would provide a misrepresentation of the total flow in the circuit, as it does not reflect the actual cumulative effect.

Thus, by summing the currents from each load, you arrive at the total current supplied by