There are four coils of resistances 4 Ω, 8 Ω, 12 Ω and 24 Ω respectively.
(a) If these coils are connected in series, then the equivalent resistance will be the highest, given by the sum 4 + 8 + 12 + 24 = 48 Ω
(b) If these coils are connected in parallel, then the equivalent resistance will be the lowest, given by
\(\frac{1}{\frac{1}{4}+\frac{1}{8}+\frac{1}{12}+\frac{1}{24}}=\frac{1}{\frac{6+3+2+1}{24}}=\frac{24}{12}=2\Omega\)
Therefore, 2 Ω is the lowest total resistance.
