Introductory Physics II

PHYS 1310

Lecture 19 – Chapter 20 part 5

Kirchhoff’s rules; Instruments

Monday, March 4
Outline – Chapter 20
• Electrical current
• Electromotive force
• Resistance
• Ohm’s law
• Energy and power of electrical current
• Alternating current
• Series and parallel wiring
• Internal resistance
• Kirchhoff’s rules
• Measuring devices
• Circuits with capacitors and resistors
Example – internal resistance of a battery
 Multi-Loop Circuits
Junctions
(nodes)

Loops

A new method is needed for more complex circuits.

This method is based on Kirchhoff's rules.
 Kirchhoff’s rules

1. Kirchhoff’s Junction Rule

The current entering a junction equals the total current leaving a
junction.

Example: at junction d, i1 and i3enter the junction and i2 leaves the junction.

2. Kirchhoff’s Loop Rule

The sum of the potential differences around a closed loop is zero.
Kirchhoff’s Loop Rule
The potential increases as we go
through the battery and decreases
as we travel through the resistor.

𝐸 −𝑖𝑟 − 𝑖𝑅=0
 Multi-Loop Circuits
• In multi-loop circuits we don not know
the way the currents flow beforehand.
• What to do?
• We simply choose some arbitrary
directions, to start with. Don’t worry, any
choice is “good” for what follows. You
cannot be “wrong”.
• Same holds for the way we choose to go
around loops.

Left loop counterclockwise (from b to a to d and back to b)

E 1  i1 R1  i3R3  0
Right loop clockwise (from b to c to d and back to b)
E 2 +i2 R2  i3 R3  0
Junction b: i2 in, i1 and i3 out:
i2=i1+i3
Kirchhoff’s Loop Rule (Batteries)

– +
Forward
E Δ 𝑉 =+𝐸
“You” go

– +
Backward Δ 𝑉 =− 𝐸
E
“You” go
 Kirchhoff’s Loop Rule (Resistors)

i
With the Δ 𝑉 =−𝑖𝑅
R
Current “You” go

i
Δ 𝑉 =+𝑖𝑅
Against the
Current R
“You” go
 Solving Multi-Loop Circuits
Steps to follow when solving a multi-loop circuit:
a) Count up the number of unknowns.
b) Use each small loop only once.
c) Use as many junctions as are necessary to solve for all the
unknowns.
d) Solve the set of equations to find the currents.
e) Some currents may come out with negative values. It’s OK.
This means these currents are not actually flowing as we
drew them in the beginning but in the opposite direction.
f) Now we know both the values of the currents and their
directions. We are done.
 Multi-Loop Circuit
Example
E1=5V; E2=10V
R1=1 W
R2=2 W
R3=3 W
E 2 +i2 R2  i3 R3 
E  i R 0 i R  0
1 1 1 3 3

i2=i1+i3
10+ 2𝑖 2+ 3 𝑖3= 0 10 + 2 ( 𝑖1+ 𝑖3 ) + 3𝑖 3= 0 10+ 2𝑖1 +5 𝑖 3=0

5 − 𝑖1 +3 𝑖 3= 0 5 − 𝑖1 +3 𝑖 3= 0 10 − 2 𝑖1 +6 𝑖 3= 0
i2=i1+i3 20 + 0 +11 𝑖 3=0
20
10+ 6 𝑖3 10 − 6 ⋅ 1.9 𝑖3 =− ≈− 1.8 𝐴
𝑖1= = ≈ − 0.45 𝐴 11
2 2

i2=-0.45-1,8=-2.25 A
 Ammeter and Voltmeter

• An ammeter measures current.

• A voltmeter measures a potential difference.
• Ammeters and Voltmeters are placed in a circuit as shown.
• It is very important to pay attention to the right way to connect
the instrument.
Ammeter and Voltmeter
• The instruments should not
change the circuit whose
properties they are measuring.
• An ideal ammeter has no
internal resistance.
• An ideal voltmeter has a very
large resistance.