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How do you find out the current flowing through a particular resistor in a circuit diagram by branch current method?

How do you find out the current flowing through a particular resistor in a circuit diagram by branch current method?

Grade:11

1 Answers

bibhash jha
15 Points
14 years ago


The branch current method

To analyze a circuit using the branch-current method involves three steps:

  1. Label the current and the current direction in each branch. Sometimes it's hard to tell which is the correct direction for the current in a particular loop. That does NOT matter. Simply pick a direction. If you guess wrong, you¹ll get a negative value. The value is correct, and the negative sign means that the current direction is opposite to the way you guessed. You should use the negative sign in your calculations, however.

     

  2. Use Kirchoff's first rule to write down current equations for each junction that gives you a different equation. For a circuit with two inner loops and two junctions, one current equation is enough because both junctions give you the same equation.

     

  3. Use Kirchoff's second rule to write down loop equations for as many loops as it takes to include each branch at least once. To write down a loop equation, you choose a starting point, and then walk around the loop in one direction until you get back to the starting point. As you cross batteries and resistors, write down each voltage change. Add these voltage gains and losses up and set them equal to zero.

When you cross a battery from the - side to the + side, that's a positive change. Going the other way gives you a drop in potential, so that's a negative change.

When you cross a resistor in the same direction as the current, that's also a drop in potential so it's a negative change in potential. Crossing a resistor in the opposite direction as the current gives you a positive change in potential.

 

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