Circuits

[ahs4n]

2 bulbs, a 60 watt (higher resistance) and a 100 watt bulb (lower resistance) are placed in series. Which bulb glows brighter?

They say the bulb with the higher resistance draws the higher current and thus more voltage and burns brighter.

I don't understand this because I was under the impression resistors in series had the same current flow through them.

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[kobe200LATE]

They are right in saying that the bulb with higher power glows brighter than the one with lower power, but it's not because of differences in current. Power is equal to (I^2)*R and because both bulbs are in series, their currents are the same. However, R is greater for the higher power bulb, which means that it glows brighter. You can also look at it using P = IV. I is the same for both bulbs, but V is higher in the 100W bulb (due to higher R, not higher I).