Difference between revisions of "Kirchoff's voltage law"
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KVL is derived from the fact that the voltage at any point in the circuit must have one single value. For example, say you start at point A and travel around the loop adding up voltages along the way. If the voltage drops did not sum to zero, then when you returned to point A it would have a different voltage than when you started, which is impossible.<ref name="Schwarz" /> | KVL is derived from the fact that the voltage at any point in the circuit must have one single value. For example, say you start at point A and travel around the loop adding up voltages along the way. If the voltage drops did not sum to zero, then when you returned to point A it would have a different voltage than when you started, which is impossible.<ref name="Schwarz" /> | ||
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| + | * See also: [[Kirchoff's current law]] | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 21:23, October 30, 2009
Kirchoff's voltage law (KVL) states that that the change in potential difference (in other words, the voltage drops) in any closed electrical circuit must sum to 0.[1] A voltage drop is the change in voltage over any element in a circuit.
KVL is derived from the fact that the voltage at any point in the circuit must have one single value. For example, say you start at point A and travel around the loop adding up voltages along the way. If the voltage drops did not sum to zero, then when you returned to point A it would have a different voltage than when you started, which is impossible.[1]
- See also: Kirchoff's current law