Current through a resistor with two DC voltage sources

Thread Starter

Kelko

Joined Oct 1, 2020
33
I have no idea where to go with this ive tried multiple different things and I know they’re wrong but I have no examples to go off how’d to do questions like these any help would be appreciated
 

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ronsimpson

Joined Oct 7, 2019
3,037
Idea:
Make R1 and R2 into R12=3.0k Is the circuit unchanged?
Make R3 and R4 into R34=2.0k. Put the one resistor either above or below V2. Is the circuit unchanged?
1602354994905.png
Same?
1602355364515.png
What is the current in R34 2K?
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
30,043
You started off just fine, except that because you wouldn't track your units properly, you got an answer that was off by three orders of magnitude.

You have

V = I·R
9 V = I·3
I = 3 A

Your second line is wrong. You have voltage on the left and current on the right. But, like so many people, you don't pay attention to units. Instead, you just throw whatever unit onto the final answer you think you would like the answer to have and call it good.

What you should have had

V = I·R
9 V = I·(3 kΩ)
I = (9 V) / (3 kΩ)
I = 3 mA
 

Thread Starter

Kelko

Joined Oct 1, 2020
33
So does the other voltage source not have an impact on the current? That’s mainly what I’m stuck on tbh
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
30,043
So does the other voltage source not have an impact on the current? That’s mainly what I’m stuck on tbh
The left hand voltage source fixes the voltage difference between the top and bottom nodes at 9 V and will supply (or absorb) whatever current is required in order to maintain that 9 V difference across those two nodes. The only thing those middle two resistors care about is the voltage difference between the top and bottom nodes. The right hand branch also only sees that fixed 9 V difference between the top and bottom nodes and responds accordingly. It will source or sink current into it, but that current comes or goes into the left hand source -- the middle resistors do not see that interaction at all.
 

Audioguru again

Joined Oct 21, 2019
6,688
If the voltage source on the left side is weak and does not have voltage regulation then if the voltage source on the right side has less voltage then it will cause the voltage on the left side to drop and reduce the current in R1 and R2.

But your circuit shows both sides have exactly the same voltage.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
30,043
It's a very simple problem early in the TS's curriculum. The sources are ideal. There's not point in needlessly complicating the problem at this stage. Let the TS learn how to analyze idea circuits -- not ideal behavior will be added soon enough.
 
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