Kirchhoff’s Loop Rule and Junction Rule
Describe a circuit or elements of a circuit by applying Kirchhoff’s loop rule.
- Energy changes in simple electrical circuits may be represented in terms of charges moving through electric potential differences within circuit elements. Relevant equation:
- Kirchhoff’s loop rule is a consequence of the conservation of energy.
- Kirchhoff’s loop rule states that the sum of potential differences across all circuit elements in a single closed loop must equal zero. Relevant equation:
- The values of electric potential at points in a circuit can be represented by a graph of electric potential as a function of position within a loop.
Describe a circuit or elements of a circuit by applying Kirchhoff’s junction rule.
- Kirchhoff’s junction rule is a consequence of the conservation of electric charge.
- Kirchhoff’s junction rule states that the total amount of charge entering a junction per unit time must equal the total amount of charge exiting that junction per unit time. Relevant equation: