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November 12, 2020 by admin
Let’s say as shown in Fig.2, we are moving in the clockwise direction, starting from point A.
Fig.2 Sign convention for Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL)
While moving in the clockwise direction, the first element that we will come across is the
voltage source Vs. And while we are moving, we are moving from the negative to the
positive potential. So, we will use the following sign convention for the KVL.
Similarly, whenever we are moving from the negative (-) terminal to the positive (+) terminal
across any element or in other words, if there is a rise in the potential across the element then
we can consider that voltage as the positive voltage. The same is shown in Fig.3.
Fig. 3 Sign Conventions for the Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law
As shown in Fig.2, starting from point A, when we move in the clockwise direction then the
first element is the voltage source Vs. And while moving, since there is a rise in the potential,
we can consider that voltage as a positive voltage. Similarly, when we are moving from point
B to point C, there is a voltage drop across the element Z 1. That means the voltage V1 can be
considered as the negative voltage. Similarly, while moving across the element Z 2 and Z3,
there is a drop across each element. That means the voltage across element Z 2 and Z3 (V2 and
V3) will be negative.
According to the Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law, the algebraic sum of all these voltage is zero.
Solution:
First, let’s denote the voltages across each element. Let’s say the voltage drop across 5 Ω, 10
Ω, and 15 Ω resistor are V1, V2, and V3 respectively.
Applying Kirchhoff’s voltage law,
Therefore, using Ohm’s law (V= I x R), V1 = 5 x I, V2 = 10 x I and V3 = 15 x I
From the above equation 1,
3V = (5 x I ) + ( 10 x I ) + (15 x I)
=> 3V = 30 x I
=> I = 0.1 A
And the voltage across 15 Ω resistor (V3) = 15 x I = 15 V x 0.1A = 1.5 V
From the above example, we can see that, using the Kirchhoff’s voltage law, it is possible to
find the current and the voltage across any element in the electrical circuit.
For more information, you can refer this video tutorial on KVL,
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