National University of Science and Technology

SMME

Lab Report 04

Verification of Kirchhoff’s voltage law (KVL)

and Kirchhoff’s current law (KCL)

Submitted By:

Name: Hasnain Ali

Reg.No: 478806
Section: ME-15C
Submitted to:

Ma’am Sania Shaheen

Lab Instrct. = Ma’am Sania Shaheen 1

 National University of Science and Technology
SMME
Assessment Rubrics for EE-103 Electrical Engineering Lab
Excellent (9-10) Good (7-8) Fair (4-6) Poor (1-3)
Introduction and Complete and well Nearly complete, Some introductory Very little background
Theory written; provides all missing some minor information, but or information is
necessary points stillmissing some incorrect
background major point
principles for the
experiment
Well-written in Written in paragraph Written in Missing several
Experimental paragraph format, format, important paragraphformat, important experimental
procedure all experimental experimental details still missing some details or not written
details are covered are covered, some important in
minor detailsmissing experimental details paragraphf

Results: data, All figures, graphs, All figures, graphs, Most figures, Figures, graphs,tables
figures, tables are correctly tables are correctly graphs, tables OK, contain missing or
graphs, tables, drawn, are drawn, but some some still missing incorrect, etc
etc. numbered and have minor problems some important or
contain or could still be required features
titles/captions. improved

Discussion All-important trends Almost all the results Some of the results Very incomplete or
and data have been correctly have been correctly incorrect interpretation
comparisons have interpreted and interpreted and oftrends and
been interpreted discussed, only minor discussed; partial comparison of data
correctly and improvements are but incomplete indicating alack
discussed; good needed. understanding of of
understanding of results is still understanding of
results is conveyed. evident. results

Conclusion All-important All-important Conclusions Conclusions missing

conclusions have conclusions have regarding or
been clearly made; been drawn, couldbe majo missing the
student shows good better stated rpoints are drawn, important points
understanding but many are
misstated,indicating
a lack of
understanding
Report All sections in order, All sections in order, Sections in order, Sections out oforder,
Formatting, well formatted, very formatting generally contains the too muchhandwritten
structure and readable. References well, but could still be minimum allowable copy, sloppy
referencing provided improved. amount formatting. No
appropriately References provided, of referencing atall.
but not entirely handwritten copy,

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 National University of Science and Technology
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Table of Contents

Lab Objectives: ............................................................................................................ 4

Tools and Equipment: .................................................................................................. 4

Related Theory: ........................................................................................... 4

Experimental Setup for Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) and Kirchhoff's

Current Law (KCL): .................................................................................... 5

Circuit Configuration: ................................................................................. 5

Procedure: ................................................................................................... 5

Calculations and Results: ............................................................................ 6

Discussion ................................................................................................... 7

Conclusion: ................................................................................................. 8

References: .................................................................................................. 8

Lab Instrct. = Ma’am Sania Shaheen 3

 National University of Science and Technology
SMME

Lab report 04: Verification of Kirchhoff’s of voltage law (KVL) and

Kirchhoff’s current law (KCL)
Lab Objective:

1. Understand Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) and its application to electrical circuits.
2. Experimentally verify KVL by measuring voltages in a closed loop and confirming their sum
equals zero.
3. Use KVL to solve for unknown quantities in simple circuits.
4. Analyze and apply KVL to multi-loop circuits.
5. Gain hands-on experience with multimeters for voltage measurements.
6. Understand Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL) and its application to circuit nodes.
7. Experimentally verify KCL by measuring currents at junctions and confirming their sum.
8. Apply KCL to solve for unknown currents in circuits.
9. Analyze complex nodes using KCL in circuits with multiple junctions.
10. Develop proficiency with multimeters for current measurements.

Tools and Equipment:

The Basic tools that are used in this Lab experiment are as follows

Multimeter:Used to measure voltage, current, and resistance in the circuit.

Power Supply:Provides the necessary voltage and current to power the circuit.

Resistors:Used as components in the circuit to analyze voltage drops and current flow.

Breadboard:A reusable platform for building and testing circuits without soldering.

Connecting Wires:Used to connect different components of the circuit.

Related Theory:
Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL): States that the sum of all electrical potential differences, or
voltages, around any closed loop in a circuit is equal to zero. This principle is grounded in the
conservation of energy, meaning that the energy gained by charge from voltage sources, such as
batteries, must equal the energy lost by charge through passive components like resistors. For
example, in a simple circuit loop, the voltage provided by the battery must balance out the voltage
drops across the resistors. KVL is crucial for analyzing complex circuits because it helps determine
unknown voltages and facilitates the efficient design of electrical systems.

Lab Instrct. = Ma’am Sania Shaheen 4

 National University of Science and Technology
SMME
Mathematically, KVL is expressed as:

∑V=0

Where V represents the individual voltage drops or gains

around the loop. It can also be written as

Total=V1+V2+V3

On the other hand, Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL) states that the total current entering a junction,
or node, in a circuit is equal to the total current leaving that junction. This law is based on the
principle of conservation of charge, which asserts that charge cannot accumulate at a node. In
practical terms, this means that the currents flowing into a junction must be equal to the currents
flowing out. Both KVL and KCL are fundamental to designing and analyzing circuits, allowing
engineers to solve complex systems with multiple loops and junctions. They are essential concepts in
fields like electrical engineering, electronics, and telecommunications, ensuring a solid
understanding and effective functioning of various electrical systems. [1]

Mathematically, KCL is expressed as:

∑I in=∑I out

Experimental Setup for Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) and Kirchhoff's Current
Law (KCL):

The aim is to verify Kirchhoff's Voltage Law and Kirchhoff's Current Law through practical
measurements in an electrical circuit.

Circuit Configuration:
For KVL: Set up a series circuit with one power supply and multiple resistors connected in series.
Connect the power supply’s positive terminal to the first resistor, and connect the subsequent
resistors end-to-end before returning to the power supply's negative terminal, completing the loop.

For KCL: Construct a parallel circuit configuration with one power supply. Connect the positive
terminal to multiple branches, each containing a resistor, then connect the other ends of the resistors
to a common node leading back to the power supply’s negative terminal.

Procedure:

KVL Measurement: Turn on the power supply. Use the multimeter to measure the voltage across
each resistor and the total voltage from the power supply. Record these values and confirm that the
sum of the voltage drops equals the total voltage supplied.

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KCL Measurement: Activate the power supply and measure the current flowing through each
branch using the multimeter. Record these current values and verify that the total current entering the
junction equals the total current leaving it. [2]

Calculations and Results:

Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL)

Source voltage E= 10V

Resistance(kΩ) Volts(V) Current(mA)

2.17 1.65 0.75

5.5 4.19 0.75

5.53 4.17 0.75

V drop = V1+V2+V3 Vdrop = (R1+R2+R3) I Percentage error (%)

(Experimental) (Theoretical)
1.65+4.19+4.17 = 10.01V (2.17+5.5+5.53)0.75= 9.98 -0.2%
V

For set 2 of resistors:

Source voltage E =10V
Resistance(kΩ) Volts(V) Current (mA)

0.685 0.819 1.18

2.168 2.6 1.18

5.53 6.6 1.18

V drop = V1+V2+V3 Vdrop = (R1+R2+R3) I Percentage error (%)

(Experimental) (Theoretical)
0.819+2.6+6.6 = 10.06V (0.685+2.168+5.53)0.75= -1.8%
9.88 V

Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL):

Resistance(kΩ) Volts(V) Current (mA)

0.685 3.06 4.28

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2.168 6.9 1.246

5.5 6.9 3.1039

I1 = I2+I3 I= V1/R1 +V2/R2+V3/R3 Percentage error (%)
(Experimental) (Theoretical)
4.34=1.246+3.1039 4.20= 3.06/0.685+(6.9/2.168) -0.5%
+
6.9/5.5

For set 2 of resistors:

Source voltage E =10V
Resistance(kΩ) Volts(V) Current (mA)

5.5 3.86 5.5

2.1760 4.149 2.72

2.1687 6.149 2.73

I1 = I2+I3 I= V1/R1 +V2/R2+V3/R3 Percentage error (%)
(Experimental) (Theoretical)
5.45=2.72+2.73 5.09= -0.9%
3.86/5.585+(4.149/2.17) +
6.149/2.1687

7. Discussion
In this experiment, both Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) and Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL) were
tested through a series of measurements in resistor networks. The experimental results were
compared with theoretical values, and the percentage errors were analyzed to verify the accuracy of
Kirchhoff's laws.

For KVL, the voltage drops across different resistors in a series circuit were measured. The sum of
the voltage drops was compared to the total applied voltage from the power supply (10V). In the first
set of resistors, the experimental voltage drop was 10.01V, which is very close to the theoretical
value of 9.98V, resulting in a minimal percentage error of -0.2%. In the second set, the experimental
voltage drop was 10.06V compared to a theoretical value of 9.88V, giving a slightly higher
percentage error of -1.8%. These minor discrepancies are likely due to factors such as measurement
inaccuracies, the resistance of wires, or variations in the resistors' actual resistance values. However,
the errors are small enough to confirm the validity of KVL.

For KCL, the experiment focused on current distribution in a parallel circuit. The currents at
different branches and the total current at a node were measured and compared. In the first set of
measurements, the total current entering the node was 4.28mA, while the sum of the branch currents
was 1.246mA + 3.1039mA = 4.3499mA. This resulted in a percentage error of -0.5%, indicating
good alignment with the theoretical values. In the second set, the total current was 5.5mA, with the
sum of branch currents being 2.72mA + 2.73mA = 5.45mA. The calculated percentage error was -

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0.9%, again confirming the validity of KCL with minimal deviations. The small errors can be
attributed to practical issues such as internal resistance and minor fluctuations in current flow.

Conclusion:

The experiment successfully verified Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) and Kirchhoff's Current
Law (KCL) by comparing theoretical and experimental values of voltage drops and currents. The
percentage errors observed were minimal, with the highest error being -1.8% in KVL and -0.9% in
KCL, indicating that the experimental results were in close agreement with theoretical predictions.
These small discrepancies are expected due to practical limitations such as measurement
uncertainties and slight component imperfections. Overall, the experiment confirmed that both KVL
and KCL are reliable for analyzing electrical circuits, demonstrating their fundamental importance in
circuit design and analysis.

References:

[1] https://www.fluke.com/en/learn/blog/electrical

[2]"Kirchhoff’s Law - Theory, Formula, Applications," Byju’s, available online at www.byjus.com.

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