
The value is correct, and the negative sign means that the current direction is opposite to the way you guessed. If you guess wrong, you¹ll get a negative value. Sometimes it's hard to tell which is the correct direction for the current in a particular loop.
Label the current and the current direction in each branch. To analyze a circuit using the branch-current method involves three steps: There is another method, the loop current method, but we won't worry about that one. The standard method in physics, which is the one followed by the textbook, is the branch current method. There are two different methods for analyzing circuits. The sum of all the potential differences around a complete loop is equal to zero. (Basically this is conservation of charge) The sum of the currents coming in to a junction is equal to the sum leaving the junction. Kirchoff's first rule : the junction rule. These guidelines also apply to very simple circuits. Circuits like this are known as multi-loop circuits.įinding the current in all branches of a multi-loop circuit (or the emf of a battery or the value of a resistor) is done by following guidelines known as Kirchoff's rules. Generally, the batteries will be part of different branches, and another method has to be used to analyze the circuit to find the current in each branch. If all the batteries are part of one branch they can be combined into a single equivalent battery. With more than one battery, the situation is trickier. #Macspice parallel resistors series
In a circuit involving one battery and a number of resistors in series and/or parallel, the resistors can generally be reduced to a single equivalent resistor. There are three branches: these are the three paths from a to b.
In the circuit below, there are two junctions, labeled a and b. Multi-loop Circuits and Kirchoff's Rules Multi-loop Circuits and Kirchoff's Rulesīefore talking about what a multi-loop circuit is, it is helpful to define two terms, junction and branch.Ī junction is a point where at least three circuit paths meet.Ī branch is a path connecting two junctions.