(Week 3) Lecture 5 and 6 Objectives: Learning Objectives of This Lecture Are

Basic Electronics (ELE-407)
Mr. Saeed Iqbal email id: saeed@biit.edu.pk Whatsapp No. 03450513779
(Week 3) Lecture 5 and 6

Objectives: Learning objectives of this lecture are
• State Kirchhoff’s voltage law

• Determine the source voltage by adding the voltage drops
• Determine an unknown voltage drop
• Resistor in Parallel
• KCL
Textbook & Resources: Principles of Electric Circuits, Conventional Current Version,

Thomas L. Floyd, Ninth Edition
In this lecture, we will study Kirchhoff’s voltage law (KVL). KVL is a fundamental circuit law
that states that the algebraic sum of all the voltages around a single closed path is zero or, in other
words, the sum of the voltage drops equals the total source voltage.
When resistors are connected in parallel and a voltage is applied across the parallel circuit, each
resistor provides a separate path for current. The total resistance of a parallel circuit is reduced as
more resistors are connected in parallel. The voltage across each of the parallel resistors is equal
to the voltage applied across the entire parallel circuit. you will also learn that how Ohm’s law is
used in parallel circuits; and you will learn Kirchhoff’s current law (KCL).
Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL)

The voltage from point A to point B in the circuit of Figure 1 is the source voltage, Also, the voltage
from A to B is the sum of the series resistor voltage drops.
Figure 1
Therefore, the source voltage is equal to the sum of the three voltage drops, as stated by
Kirchhoff’s voltage law.
The sum of all the voltage drops around a single closed path in a circuit is equal to
the total source voltage in that loop.
Kirchhoff’s voltage law applied to a series circuit is illustrated in Figure 2. For this case,
Kirchhoff’s voltage law can be expressed by Equation below.
where the subscript n represents the number of voltage drops. If all the voltage drops around a
closed path are added and then this total is subtracted from the source voltage, the result is zero.
This result occurs because the sum of the voltage drops always equals the source voltage.
Figure 2
The algebraic sum of all the voltages (both source and drops) around a single closed path is
zero.
Therefore, another way of expressing Kirchhoff’s voltage law in equation form is
Example
Determine the source voltage in Figure below where the two voltage drops are given.
By Kirchhoff’s voltage law, the source voltage (applied voltage) must equal the sum of the voltage
drops. Adding the voltage drops gives the value of the source voltage.
Example
Find the value of R4 in Figure below.
Voltage Dividers
A circuit consisting of a series string of resistors connected to a voltage source acts as a voltage
divider.
The total voltage drop around a single closed path divides among the series resistors in amounts
directly proportional to the resistance values
Voltage-Divider Formula
With a few calculations, you can develop a formula for determining how the voltages divide among
series resistors. Assume a circuit with n resistors in series as shown in Figure below, where n can
be any number.
Figure 3
Equation above is the general voltage-divider formula, which can be stated as follows:
The voltage drop across any resistor or combination of resistors in a series circuit is equal to
the ratio of that resistance value to the total resistance, multiplied by the source voltage.
Example
Determine voltages across all resistors.
Resistors In Parallel
When two or more resistors are individually connected between two separate points (nodes) in a
circuit, they are in parallel with each other. A parallel circuit provides more than one path for
current.
Each current path is called a branch, and a parallel circuit is one that has more than one branch.
Two resistors connected in parallel are shown in Figure 4(a). As shown in part (b), the current out
of the source divides when it gets to point A. I1 goes through R1 and I2 goes through R2. If additional
resistors are connected in parallel with the first two, more current paths are provided between point
A and point B, as shown in Figure 4(c). All points along the top shown in blue are electrically the
same as point A, and all points along the bottom shown in green are electrically the same as point
B.
Figure 4
In Figure 4, it is obvious that the resistors are connected in parallel. Often, in actual circuit
diagrams, the parallel relationship is not as clear. It is important that you learn to recognize parallel
circuits regardless of how they may be drawn. A rule for identifying parallel circuits is as follows:
If there is more than one current path (branch) between two separate points and if the
voltage between those two points also appears across each of the branches, then there is a
parallel circuit between those two points.
Figure 5 shows parallel resistors drawn in different ways between two separate points labeled A
and B. Notice that in each case, the current has two paths going from A to B, and the voltage across
each branch is the same. Although these examples show only two parallel paths, there can be any
number of resistors in parallel.
Figure 5
Voltage In A Parallel Circuit
To illustrate voltage in a parallel circuit, let’s examine Figure 6(a). Points A, B, C, and D along the
left side of the parallel circuit are electrically the same point because the voltage is the same along
this line. You can think of all of these points as being connected by a single wire to the negative
terminal of the battery. The points E, F, G, and H along the right side of the circuit are all at a
voltage equal to that of the positive terminal of the source. Thus, voltage across each parallel
resistor is the same, and each is equal to the source voltage. Note that the parallel circuit in Figure
6 resembles a ladder. Figure 6(b) is the same circuit as in part (a), drawn in a slightly different
way. Here the left side of each resistor is connected to a single point, which is the negative battery
terminal. The right side of each resistor is connected to a single point, which is the positive battery
terminal. The resistors are still all in parallel across the source.
Figure 6
Kirchhoff’s Current Law

Kirchhoff’s current law, often abbreviated KCL, can be stated as follows:
The sum of the currents into a node (total current in) is equal to the sum of the currents out
of that node (total current out).
A node is any point or junction in a circuit where two or more components are connected. In a
parallel circuit, a node or junction is a point where the parallel branches come together. For
example, in the circuit of Figure 7, point A is one node and point B is another. Let’s start at the
positive terminal of the source and follow the current. The total current from the source is into
node A. At this point, the current splits up among the three branches as indicated. Each of the three
branch currents (I1, I2 and I3) is out of node A. Kirchhoff’s current law says that the total current
into node A is equal to the total current out of node A; that is,
Figure 7
Now, following the currents in Figure 7 through the three branches, you see that they come back
together at node B. Currents I1, I2, and I3 are into node B, and IT is out of node B. Kirchhoff’s
current law formula at node B is therefore the same as at node A.
Figure 8 illustrates the general case of Kirchhoff’s current law and can be written as a mathematical
relationship:
Figure 8
Example
The branch currents are shown in the circuit of Figure below. Determine the total current entering
node A and the total current leaving node B.
Total Parallel Resistance

When resistors are connected in parallel, the total resistance of the circuit decreases. The total
resistance of a parallel circuit is always less than the value of the smallest resistor. For example, if
a resistor 10 Ω and a 100 Ω resistor are connected in parallel, the total resistance is less than 10 Ω.
Formula for Total Parallel Resistance
In Case of Two Parallel Resistors

Equation is a general formula for finding the total resistance for any number of resistors in
parallel. The combination of two resistors in parallel occurs commonly in practice. Also, any
number of resistors in parallel can be broken down into pairs as an alternate way to find the
Based on Equation above, the formula for the total resistance of two resistors in parallel is
The total resistance for two resistors in parallel is equal to the product of the two resistors
divided by the sum of the two resistors.
Example
Calculate the total resistance connected to the voltage source of the circuit in Figure below.
The Case of Equal-Value Resistors in Parallel
Application Of Ohm’s Law
Ohm’s law can be applied to parallel circuit analysis.

The following examples illustrate how to apply Ohm’s law to determine the total current, branch
currents, voltage, and resistance in parallel circuits.
Find the total current produced by the battery in Figure
Example
Determine the current through each resistor in the parallel circuit of Figure below
Current Dividers
In a parallel circuit, the total current into the junction of the parallel branches divides among the
branches. Thus, a parallel circuit acts as a current divider. This current-divider principle is
illustrated in Figure 9 for a two-branch parallel circuit in which part of the total current goes
through R1 and part through R2.
Figure 9
Current-Divider Formula
You can develop a formula for determining how currents divide among any number of parallel
resistors as shown in Figure 10, where n is the total number of resistors.
Figure 10
The current through any one of the parallel resistors is Ix where x represents the number of a
particular resistor (1, 2, 3, and so on). By Ohm’s law, you can express the current through any one
of the resistors in Figure 10 as follows:
The current (Ix) through any branch equals the total parallel resistance (RT) divided by the
resistance (Rx) of that branch, and then multiplied by the total current (IT) into the junction
of parallel branches.
Example
Determine the current through each resistor in the circuit of Figure below.

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Basic Electronics (ELE-407)

Mr. Saeed Iqbal email id: saeed@biit.edu.pk Whatsapp No. 03450513779

(Week 3) Lecture 5 and 6

• State Kirchhoff’s voltage law

Textbook & Resources: Principles of Electric Circuits, Conventional Current Version,

Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL)

Kirchhoff’s Current Law

Total Parallel Resistance

In Case of Two Parallel Resistors

The Case of Equal-Value Resistors in Parallel

Application Of Ohm’s Law

Ohm’s law can be applied to parallel circuit analysis.

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