wattage question

[Randall]

If I need a 220 ohm 2 watt resistor, and all I have is two 470 ohm 2 watt resistors to parallel, I know the resultant 232 ohms (real case, not math) is within spec, but how does two 2 watt resistors in parallel work? Do they split the wattage, in effect giving me a 4 watt resistor, or does it stay 2 watts?

[Dave H]

If I need a 220 ohm 2 watt resistor, and all I have is two 470 ohm 2 watt resistors to parallel, I know the resultant 232 ohms (real case, not math) is within spec, but how does two 2 watt resistors in parallel work? Do they split the wattage, in effect giving me a 4 watt resistor, or does it stay 2 watts?

Yes it's 4W, 2W per 470R resistor.

[vintagekiki]

Two 470 ohm 2 watt resistors to parallel giving 235 ohms 4 watt resistor.

[Randall]

Thanks gents!

[g1]

They add nicely because they are the same value.
Keep in mind that when dealing with series or parallel combinations of different values, it doesn't always work that way (you can't just add up the wattages). This is especially critical when dealing with speaker combinations of various impedance and power handling. You can end up with a 'weakest link' that limits the power handling of the whole combination.