ABSTRACT
Analysis of linear circuits rests on two fundamental physical laws that describe how the voltages and currents in a circuit must behave. This behavior results from whatever voltage sources, current sources, and energy storage elements are connected to the circuit. Kirchhoff’s current law (KCL) imposes constraints on the currents in the branches that are attached to each node of a circuit. In simplest terms, KCL states that the sum of the currents that are entering a given node must equal the sum of the currents that are leaving the node. KCL is ordinarily stated in terms of the real currents flowing in a circuit, because it actually describes physical quantities, at least in a macroscopic, statistical sense. Kirchhoff’s voltage law (KVL) describes a relationship among the voltages measured across the branches in any closed, connected path in a circuit. KVL can be used to completely analyze a circuit, but it is seldom used in large-scale circuit simulation programs.
