Circuits: Ohm’s Law, Current Laws, and Voltage Laws

Electricity is a source of energy that powers most of the modern world. It is the driving

force behind technology, transportation, and communication. However, mankind could not have

controlled electricity if it weren’t for mathematics. Electricity is dangerous when not under

control, and without mathematical laws and formulas, we could not harness its power. Careful

planning went into using electricity, due to the fact that it is immensely potent. The same thing as

lightning early people once stared in awe is now running through wires across the globe. People

regulate aspects of electricity in order to prepare it for everyday use.

There are quite a few mathematical theorems and formulas that describe the behavior of

electricity that runs through a circuit, which is a closed loop consisting of a voltage source and

resistor, in its most basic form. These laws involve both the current, which is the rate of flow of

an electrical charge, and the voltage, which is the electrical force that drives the current. The

three basic laws involving circuits are: Ohm’s Law, Kirchhoff’s Current Law, and Kirchhoff’s

Voltage Law.

However, before analyzing the laws pertaining to circuits, one must familiarize oneself

with the parts of a circuit. The voltage source, such as a battery or generator, is the part of a

circuit that has a voltage independent to the current, and can create a current by driving a

resistor. A resistor is an electrical component that produces

voltage that is proportional to the current. In the diagram on

the left, the voltage source is represented by V, the current is

represented by i, and the resistor is represented by R. This is

also the diagram and set of variables that is used in Ohm’s

law.
Ohm’s Law

Georg Ohm (1789-1854) was a German physicist who found that the voltage in a circuit

was proportional to the current being produced. His law, known as Ohm’s Law states:

V =IR

I is the current, while V is the voltage, and R is the resistance. Also, R is constant, which means

that it represents an unchanging value. This law may be altered algebraically so that one could

find V, if given I and R, and R, if given I, and V.

V
I=
R

V
R=
I

Sample Problem

What would be the current in a circuit if the resistance was 20Ω, and the voltage was

10V?

Step 1: Start with the formula.

V =IR

Step 2: Substitute values.

( 10 )=20 I

Step 3: Divide both sides by the resistance.

10 20 I
=
20 20

Step 4: The answer is reached. Make sure to include the units, which, in this case, is the Ampere.

I =20 amps
But what if when solving for the current, the resistance was zero? Would it be undefined like

most problems would be at that point? The answer is yes. Think about how voltage produces

current only if there is a resistor. It is impossible to have current without resistance. However, if

the voltage is zero, then the current is zero, when speaking of the same equation.

Ohm’s law has been changed into different forms, the simplest one being transformed by

Kirchhoff:

J=σE

Here, J stands for the density of the resistive material, σ stands for the conductivity of the

resistive material, and E stands for the electrical field at that location.

Kirchhoff’s Current Law

Not only did Gustav Kirchhoff (1824-1887) create a generalization of Ohm’s law, he also

discovered a few laws of his own. One of them was his Current Law, stating that the sum of the

current going into a node (junction) is the same as that flowing

out. In other words, (using variables according to the diagram

at the right):

i1 + i4 = i2 + i3

Therefore, no current is lost or created after a node is

encountered (represented by the big black spot at the middle).

The other end of the Law states that the current at the junction is equal to zero. This can be

represented by the equation:

(i2 + i3) – (i4 + i1) = 0

-or-

∑ I =0
The symbol above that looks like an ‘E’ is actually the sigma symbol, which means to combine

all values together. Although one might think that when combining four positive current values,

the sum would be positive, this isn’t the case. Not all values in the equation are negative due to

the fact that some of the current is going towards the node, and some of it is flowing away from

the node.

Sample Problem

According to Kirchhoff’s Current Law, if the total current flowing into the node 0.5 amps, and

there are 3 nodes, one of which is twice as much as each of the other two, what are the values for

the currents leaving the nodes?

Step 1: Start with one of the two formulas.

(IA) = (IB + IC + ID)

Step 2: Substitute values.

(0.5) = (2I + I + I)

Step 3: Simplify

(0.5) = (4I)

Step 4: Divide both sides by 4.

(0.5) 4 I
=
4 4

Step 5: You get the values representing the current flowing from the two smaller branches.

0.125 = I

Step 6: Multiply the value for the smaller branch by two to get the bigger branch’s value.

0.125 * 2 = .25

Your final answer is:

Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law

Gustav Kirchhoff also has a rule regarding voltage, which has the same principle as his

law of electrical currents. Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law states that the sum of all voltages in a circuit

is equal to zero. This can be stated as:

∑V=0

This law, in other words, means that no electrical energy is gained or lost throughout a circuit. It

is much like the Law of Conservation of Energy. If Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law did not exist in

circuits, there would be infinite voltage, which is

impossible. So by applying this law to the diagram at

the left, one could conclude:

(v1 + v2 + v3) – v4 = 0

Since v4 is not being consumed by the resistors, but

contrarily put into the circuit, it is a negative figure.

Changing the signs so that v4 is positive, and that the rest are subtracted from v4 would not make

the equation false.

Sample Problem

If one resistor draws 5 volts, and the other draws seven, what is the total voltage put through the

resistors?

Step 1: Write down the formula.

(v1) – v4 = 0

Step 2: Substitute with the given values.

(v1) – (5 + 7) = 0
Step 3: Simplify.

v1 – (12) = 0

Step 4: Add 12 to both sides.

v1 = 12

The total input of voltage is twelve volts.

Sample Problem: Using More Than One Law

None of these laws can singlehandedly give humanity the knowledge to operate and

analyze circuits effectively. However, when pieced together, more complex, more realistic

problems can be solved.

How much input voltage would a circuit have if the current was 5 amps and 10 amps,

from resistors of 10Ω and 20Ω, respectively?

Step 1: Start with Ohm’s Law

V = IR V = IR

Step 2: Substitute values with those given.

V = (5)(10) V = (10)(20)

Step 3: Simplify.

V = 50 V = 200

Step 4: Write down Kirchhoff’s Law of Voltage.

(v1) – v4 = 0

Step 5: Substitute for values from previous operations.

v1 – (50 + 200) = 0

Step 6: Simplify.

v1 – (250) = 0

Step 7: Add 250 to both sides.

The starting voltage for the given circuit was 250 volts.

Looking Back

Video games, Ipods, TVs, cars, and computers: all of them have circuits. And without the

use of mathematics, none of these, and all other circuits, would not exist. The mathematical

aspects of equations and summations were used in the discussed laws. These fundamental laws

involving numbers govern the behavior of electricity in circuits.

Bibliography

Kirkland, K. (2007). Electricity and Magnetism. New York, NY: Facts on File, Inc.

Wikipedia. (2010, October 21). Ohm's Law. Retrieved October 22, 2010, from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohm%27s_law

Wikipedia. (2010, October 21). Electircal Network. Retrieved October 22, 2010, from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_network