Kirchhoff's Laws

Many types of circuits have

Kirchhoff's components that are not in

series, in parallel, or in series-

Laws
parallel.

For example, a circuit may have

two voltages applied in
different branches.
 When the rules of series and

Kirchhoff's parallel circuits cannot be applied,

more general methods of

Laws
analysis become necessary.

All circuits can be solved by

Kirchhoff's laws because the
laws do not depend on series or
parallel connections.
 Kirchhoff's voltage and current

Kirchhoff's laws were stated in 1847 by

German physicist Gustav R.

Laws
Kirchhoff .

KVL: The algebraic sum of the

voltage sources and IR voltage
drops in any closed path must
total zero.

KCL: At any point in a circuit, the

algebraic sum of the currents
directed into and out of a point
must total zero.
Kirchhoff's Voltage Law
(KVL)
Kirchhoff's The algebraic sum of the voltages
around any closed path is zero.

Voltage Law If you start from any point at one

(KVL)
potential and come back to the
same point and the same
potential, the difference of
potential must be zero.
Kirchhoff's
Voltage Law A convenient system is to go
around any closed path and

(KVL) consider any voltage whose

negative terminal is reached first as
Algebraic Signs a negative term and any voltage
whose positive terminal is reached
first as a positive term.
Kirchhoff's
Voltage Law This method applies to IR voltage
drops and voltage sources.

(KVL) The direction can be clockwise

or counterclockwise.
Algebraic Signs
For a voltage source, the
direction of electrons returning to
the positive terminal is the
normal direction for electron flow,
which means that the source
should be a positive term in the
voltage equation.
Kirchhoff's
Voltage Law If you do not come back to the
start, then the algebraic sum is

(KVL) the voltage between the start and

finish points.
Algebraic Signs
Example
In the given figure, apply Kirchhoff’s voltage law to solve for the voltages VAG and VBG.

The voltage sources V1 and V2 are connected in a

series-aiding fashion since they both force electrons to flow
through the circuit in the same direction. The earth ground
connection at the junction of V1 and V2 is
used simply for a point of reference. The
Example
In the given figure, apply Kirchhoff’s voltage law to solve for the voltages VAG and VBG.

The voltage sources V1 and V2 are connected in a

series-aiding fashion since they both force electrons to flow
through the circuit in the same direction. The earth ground
connection at the junction of V1 and V2 is
used simply for a point of reference. The
Example
In the given figure, apply Kirchhoff’s voltage law to solve for the voltages VAG and VBG.

Next, we can apply Kirchhoff’s voltage law to determine if we have

solved the circuit correctly. If we go counterclockwise (CCW)
around the loop, starting and ending at the positive (1) terminal of
V1, we should obtain an algebraic sum of 0 V.
Example
In the given figure, apply Kirchhoff’s voltage law to solve for the voltages VAG and VBG.

It is important to realize that the sum of the resistor voltage drops

must equal the applied voltage, VT, which equals V1 + V2 or 36 V
in this case. Expressed as an equation,
Kirchhoff's
Voltage Law Any closed path is called a loop. A
loop equation specifies the

(KVL) voltages around the loop.

In the given figure, has three

Loop Equations loops.
Kirchhoff's
Voltage Law The outside loop (Loop 3),
starting from point A at the top,

(KVL) through CEFDB, and back to A,

includes the voltage drops V1, V4,
Loop Equations V5, and V2 and the source VT.

The inside loop (Loop 1) ACDBA

includes V1, V3, V2, and VT. The
other inside loop (Loop 2),
CEFDC with V4, V5, and V3, does
not include the voltage source.
Kirchhoff's
Voltage Law Consider the voltage equation for
the inside loop with VT.

(KVL) In the clockwise direction

starting from point A, the
Loop Equations algebraic sum of the voltages is,
Kirchhoff's
Voltage Law Voltages V1, V3, and V2 have
negative signs, because the

(KVL) negative terminal for each of

these voltages is reached first.
Loop Equations However, the source VT is a
positive term because its plus
terminal is reached first, going
in the same direction.
Kirchhoff's
Voltage Law For the opposite direction, going
counterclockwise in the same

(KVL) loop from point B at the bottom,

V2, V3, and V1 have positive
Loop Equations values and VT is negative.
Kirchhoff's
Voltage Law
(KVL) We transpose the negative term
Loop Equations of -240 V, the equation becomes,

This equation states that the sum

of the voltage drops equals the
applied voltage.
Kirchhoff's Current Law
(KCL)
Kirchhoff's
Current Law The algebraic sum of the
currents entering and leaving

(KCL) any point in a circuit must

equal zero. Or stated another
way, the algebraic sum of the
currents into any point of the circuit
must equal the algebraic sum of the
currents out of that point.
Kirchhoff's
Current Law In using Kirchhoff’s laws to solve
circuits, it is necessary to adopt

(KCL) conventions that determine the

algebraic signs for current and
Algebraic Signs voltage terms.

A convenient system for currents

is to consider all currents into a
branch point as positive and all
currents directed away from that
point as negative.
Kirchhoff's
Current Law For example, in the given figure,
we can write the currents as

(KCL)
Algebraic Signs

Currents IA and IB are positive

terms because these currents
flow into P, but IC, directed out,
is negative.
Kirchhoff's For a circuit application, refer to

Current Law
point C at the top of the diagram
in the given figure.

(KCL)
Current Equations The 6-A IT into point C divides
into the 2-A I3 and 4-A I4–5, both
directed out.
Kirchhoff's Note that I4–5 is the current

Current Law
through R4 and R5. The algebraic
equation is

(KCL)
Current Equations
Substituting the values for these
currents,
Kirchhoff's For the opposite directions, refer

Current Law
to point D at the bottom of the
figure.

(KCL)
Current Equations Here the branch currents into D
combine to equal the main-line
current IT returning to the
voltage source.
Kirchhoff's Now IT is directed out from D with

Current Law
I3 and I4–5 directed in. The
algebraic equation is

(KCL)
Current Equations
Kirchhoff's Note that at either point C or

Current Law
point D in the given figure, the
sum of the 2-A and 4-A branch

(KCL)
currents must equal the 6-A total
Current Equations line current. Therefore, Kirchhoff’s
current law can also be stated as
Iin = Iout.
Kirchhoff's For the given figure, the equations

Current Law
of current can be written:

(KCL)
Current Equations

Kirchhoff’s current law is the

basis for the practical rule in
parallel circuits that the total
line current must equal the sum
of the branch currents.
In the given figure, apply Kirchhoff’s current law to solve for the unknown current, I3.
In the given figure, apply Kirchhoff’s current law to solve for the unknown current, I3.

Solving for I3 gives us