Why must the equivalent resistance of several resistors in parallel always be less than the smallest of those resistors?

1. Imagine only the single smallest resistor is present, forming the only path for current. 2. Now add the remaining resistors alongside it, each forming an additional, alternate path. 3. More available paths make it easier overall for current to flow, which is the same as saying the overall resistance decreases. 4. This is the key parallel-circuit trap: adding a resistor to a parallel network lowers the total resistance, exactly opposite to what adding a resistor does in series. 5. Because the equivalent resistance keeps decreasing as more paths are added, it must end up lower than even the smallest individual resistor. 6. The option claiming paths are removed is backwards, since parallel resistors add alternate routes rather than blocking existing ones. 7. The option claiming resistance always increases directly contradicts the more-paths-means-less-resistance reasoning. _Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 19 "Electrical Circuits", section 19.3 Parallel Circuits_