Kirchoff Voltage law confusion

Thread Starter

suvimal

Joined Sep 1, 2014
1
I want to know that in circuits where current sources are present, KVL can be applied or not? I mean, if current source is present in a part of circuit, can we apply KVL loop including that part? Should we ignore the current source or somehow include it while applying KVL?
 

business_kid

Joined Feb 5, 2013
22
KVL effectively means that all voltage available between positive and negative is applied across the circuit. If you have 2V over part of a network between +. and -, and a 12 volt supply, you need not measure to know there is 10V across the rest. A current source is a variable voltage point in there somewhere. If you measure the voltage on any point, KVL applies.

There is a lesser known Kirchoff's current law which states that the sum of the currents in a circuit = 0. That means the current in (+) - the current out(-) =0.
 

MikeML

Joined Oct 2, 2009
5,444
...

There is a lesser known Kirchoff's current law which states that the sum of the currents in a circuit = 0. That means the current in (+) - the current out(-) =0.
Well, not quite what you said...

The correct way of stating KCL is that the sum of all the currents into any circuit node is zero...

This, from WikiPedia:

Kirchhoff's current law (KCL)

The current entering any junction is equal to the current leaving that junction. i2 + i3 = i1 + i4
This law is also called Kirchhoff's first law, Kirchhoff's point rule, or Kirchhoff's junction rule (or nodal rule).

The principle of conservation of electric charge implies that:

At any node (junction) in an electrical circuit, the sum of currents flowing into that node is equal to the sum of currents flowing out of that node, or:
The algebraic sum of currents in a network of conductors meeting at a point is zero.
 
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