What is the effect of increasing resistance in a circuit while keeping the voltage constant?

When resistance in a circuit is increased while maintaining a constant voltage, the current flowing through the circuit decreases. This phenomenon can be explained using Ohm's Law, which states that the current (I) in a circuit is equal to the voltage (V) divided by the resistance (R), expressed as I = V/R.

In this equation, when the voltage remains constant and the resistance increases, the denominator (R) becomes larger, thus reducing the overall value of the current (I). This fundamental relationship illustrates that with a higher resistance, the circuit has a greater opposition to the flow of electric charge, leading to a decrease in current.

The other options present alternative relationships that do not occur under the conditions described. The current cannot increase while resistance is raised, nor does the voltage increase since it was specified as constant. The change in resistance does cause a change in power, but that would depend on both current and voltage rather than simply leading to a decrease in power without a specific context. Therefore, maintaining constant voltage and increasing resistance directly correlates to a decrease in current.