Parallel cells share current load for longer duration

Steps:

• Cells in parallel maintain the same e.m.f. as a single cell.
• Total current capacity equals the sum of individual cell currents.
• For a given load, current divides equally among cells.
• Each cell supplies less current, reducing discharge rate.

Why C is correct:

• By Kirchhoff's current law, parallel paths divide the total current, so each cell delivers one-third the current of a single cell, extending discharge time per Ohm's law (I = V/R, lower I means slower energy depletion).

Why the others are wrong:

• A: Each cell has fixed energy capacity (E = V × capacity), unchanged by connection.
• B: Each cell supplies less current, not more, for the same load.
• D: Parallel e.m.f. equals single cell e.m.f., not greater (series increases e.m.f.).

Final answer: C