Mesh Current Analysis (a.k.a. Loop Analysis) The motivation for Mesh Analysis is that sometimes you have a circuit which is too complicated to solve using a simplification method, such as superposition. Mesh analysis on the other hand will work for…
Superposition Theorem The Superposition theorem is a basic circuit analysis technique that is only useful where there are more than one voltage or current sources in the same circuit. It states that: The current in any element is equal to…
Millman’s Theorem Millman’s theorem says that: when a circuit contains a parallel connected network of practical voltage sources (they MUST have a series internal resistance), they can be replaced by a single equivalent voltage source with a series resistance. This…
Norton’s Theorem We have already looked at what a current source is in a previous article on Voltage and Current Sources. Norton’s theorem builds on that knowledge stating that: Any linear electrical network containing only voltage sources, current sources and resistances can be replaced at terminals A–B by an equivalent combination…
Thevenin’s Theorem We have already looked at what a voltage source is in a previous article on Voltage and Current Sources. Thevenin’s theorem builds on that knowledge stating that: Any linear electrical network containing only voltage sources, current sources and resistances can be replaced at terminals A–B by an equivalent…
Voltage Sources What is a voltage source? This may seem like a redundant question. After all, we know intuitively from our modern lives that voltage sources are plentiful and come in a variety of different forms… and they do. For…
Y to Δ (T to π) Network Conversion Before reading this page I strongly suggest that you have first read and understood the complementary page on Δ to Y Network Conversion. The working out on this page is based on…
Δ to Y (π to T) Network Conversion Many circuits contain sub-circuits comprising of a three terminal network connected in one of two ways: The Δ (or π) and Y (or T) networks can be configured to be electrically identical…
Like Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL), Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL) is also just a simple concept (arguably even simpler than the KVL). It simply states that: The sum of the currents in to a node are equal to the sum of…
Parallel Resistor Circuits Parallel resistance is when two, or more, resistors are each directly connected between the same two nodes of a circuit. We can revert back to our default of using water analogies for this one. Consider a pipe…
The good news is that this law is just a very simple concept with no complicated equations to remember. Even if you never heard of Kirchhoff, you probably already know this law intuitively. I tried really hard to think of…
Series Resistor Circuits Making further use of our analogy with water circuits. Resistors are like pipes and when you connect pipes together in series (end to end) they provide only a single path for the water. Hence they all carry…