UNIT:II

CHAPTER:IV

LESSON 11

KIRCHOFF’S CURRENT LAW OF ELECTRIC CIRCUIT

ANALYSIS

Now we will focus our attention towards the current divider circuits and Kirchoff’s

current law.

Current divider circuits

Let's analyze a simple parallel circuit, determining the branch currents through individual
resistors:

Knowing that voltages across all components in a parallel circuit are the same, we can fill
in our voltage/current/resistance table with 6 volts across the top row:

Using Ohm's Law (I=E/R) we can calculate each branch current:

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Knowing that branch currents add up in parallel circuits to equal the total current, we can
arrive at total current by summing 6 mA, 2 mA, and 3 mA:

The final step, of course, is to figure total resistance. This can be done with Ohm's Law
(R=E/I) in the "total" column, or with the parallel resistance formula from individual
resistances. Either way, we'll get the same answer:

Once again, it should be apparent that the current through each resistor is related to its
resistance, given that the voltage across all resistors is the same. Rather than being
directly proportional, the relationship here is one of inverse proportion. For example, the
current through R1 is half as much as the current through R3, which has twice the
resistance of R1.

If we were to change the supply voltage of this circuit, we find that (surprise!) these
proportional ratios do not change:

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The current through R1 is still exactly twice that of R2, despite the fact that the source
voltage has changed. The proportionality between different branch currents is strictly a
function of resistance.

Also reminiscent of voltage dividers is the fact that branch currents are fixed proportions
of the total current. Despite the fourfold increase in supply voltage, the ratio between any
branch current and the total current remains unchanged:

For this reason a parallel circuit is often called a current divider for its ability to proportion
-- or divide -- the total current into fractional parts. With a little bit of algebra, we can
derive a formula for determining parallel resistor current given nothing more than total
current, individual resistance, and total resistance:

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The ratio of total resistance to individual resistance is the same ratio as individual
(branch) current to total current. This is known as the current divider formula, and it is a
short-cut method for determining branch currents in a parallel circuit when the total
current is known.

Using the original parallel circuit as an example, we can re-calculate the branch currents
using this formula, if we start by knowing the total current and total resistance:

If you take the time to compare the two divider formulae, you'll see that they are
remarkably similar. Notice, however, that the ratio in the voltage divider formula is Rn
(individual resistance) divided by RTotal, and how the ratio in the current divider formula
is RTotal divided by Rn:

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It is quite easy to confuse these two equations, getting the resistance ratios backwards.
One way to help remember the proper form is to keep in mind that both ratios in the
voltage and current divider equations must equal less than one. After all these are divider
equations, not multiplier equations! If the fraction is upside-down, it will provide a ratio
greater than one, which is incorrect. Knowing that total resistance in a series (voltage
divider) circuit is always greater than any of the individual resistances, we know that the
fraction for that formula must be Rn over RTotal. Conversely, knowing that total resistance
in a parallel (current divider) circuit is always less then any of the individual resistances,
we know that the fraction for that formula must be RTotal over Rn.

Current divider circuits also find application in electric meter circuits, where a fraction of
a measured current is desired to be routed through a sensitive detection device. Using the
current divider formula, the proper shunt resistor can be sized to proportion just the right
amount of current for the device in any given instance:

• Parallel circuits proportion, or "divide," the total circuit current among individual
branch currents, the proportions being strictly dependent upon resistances: In =
ITotal (RTotal / Rn)

Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL)

Let's take a closer look at that last parallel example circuit:

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Solving for all values of voltage and current in this circuit:

At this point, we know the value of each branch current and of the total current in the
circuit. We know that the total current in a parallel circuit must equal the sum of the
branch currents, but there's more going on in this circuit than just that. Taking a look at
the currents at each wire junction point (node) in the circuit, we should be able to see
something else:

At each node on the negative "rail" (wire 8-7-6-5) we have current splitting off the main
flow to each successive branch resistor. At each node on the positive "rail" (wire 1-2-3-4)
we have current merging together to form the main flow from each successive branch
resistor. This fact should be fairly obvious if you think of the water pipe circuit analogy
with every branch node acting as a "tee" fitting, the water flow splitting or merging with
the main piping as it travels from the output of the water pump toward the return
reservoir or sump.

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If we were to take a closer look at one particular "tee" node, such as node 3, we see that
the current entering the node is equal in magnitude to the current exiting the node:

From the right and from the bottom, we have two currents entering the wire connection
labeled as node 3. To the left, we have a single current exiting the node equal in
magnitude to the sum of the two currents entering. To refer to the plumbing analogy: so
long as there are no leaks in the piping, what flow enters the fitting must also exit the
fitting. This holds true for any node ("fitting"), no matter how many flows are entering or
exiting. Mathematically, we can express this general relationship as such:

Mr. Kirchhoff decided to express it in a slightly different form (though mathematically

equivalent), calling it Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL):

Summarized in a phrase, Kirchhoff's Current Law reads as such:

"The algebraic sum of all currents entering and exiting a node must equal zero"

That is, if we assign a mathematical sign (polarity) to each current, denoting whether they
enter (+) or exit (-) a node, we can add them together to arrive at a total of zero,
guaranteed.

Taking our example node (number 3), we can determine the magnitude of the current
exiting from the left by setting up a KCL equation with that current as the unknown
value:

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The negative (-) sign on the value of 5 milliamps tells us that the current is exiting the
node, as opposed to the 2 milliamp and 3 milliamp currents, which must were both
positive (and therefore entering the node). Whether negative or positive denotes current
entering or exiting is entirely arbitrary, so long as they are opposite signs for opposite
directions and we stay consistent in our notation, KCL will work.

Together, Kirchhoff's Voltage and Current Laws are a formidable pair of tools useful in
analyzing electric circuits. Their usefulness will become all the more apparent in a later
chapter ("Network Analysis"), but suffice it to say that these Laws deserve to be
memorized by the electronics student every bit as much as Ohm's Law.

• Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL): "The algebraic sum of all currents entering and
exiting a node must equal zero"

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