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Many circuits cannot be solved using the above approach,

particularly circuits having multiple loops and voltage sources.
For these circuits Kirchhoff’s Rules (or Kirchhoff’s Laws) can be
used.

KIRCHHOFF’S RULES

For circuits that cannot be solved by simplifying using

series/parallel combinations of resistors and using Ohm’s Law
Kirchhoff’s Rules provide a solution.

Kirchhoff’s Rules are based on two fundamental laws:

A: Conservation of Charge, and

B: Conservation of Energy.

Kirchhoff’s rules analyse the circuit in terms of branch points

and loops.

Branch Point

Loop

A Branch Point () is any point where three or more conductors

join.

A Loop is any closed path in the circuit that does not pass
through any part of the circuit more than once. In analysing a
circuit there must be sufficient loops to pass through every circuit
component at least once.

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Conservation of electric charge gives rise to the Point Rule.

Since charge cannot be created or destroyed, the total current
(rate of flow of charge) flowing into a junction must equal the
total current flowing out of the junction.

Conservation of energy requires that the sum of the voltage

drops (IR products) in a closed loop equals the sum of the
voltage sources in the same loop (the Loop Rule).

Point Rule: The sum of the currents flowing into a junction is

zero.

Sign Convention: Inwards currents are positive, outwards

currents are negative.

I  0

Loop Rule: The sum of the e.m.f.’s

(battery voltages) in any loop equals
the sum of the IR products in the same
loop.

Sign Convention: e.m.f.’s and

currents in direction of travel around a
loop are positive. The direction of a
voltage source is always away from its
positive terminal.

 V   IR

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26-3 Kirchhoff’s Rules

Problem Solving: Kirchhoff’s Rules

1. Label each current, including its direction.
2. Identify unknowns.
3. Apply junction and loop rules; you will
need as many independent equations as
there are unknowns.
4. Solve the equations, being careful with
signs. If the solution for a current is
negative, that current is in the opposite
direction from the one you have chosen.
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Example 1:

1 6 Find: V1 and V2
20 V

1A  Note that the direction of travel around

4 V1 1 the loop is arbitrary. If you changed the
direction it would change all signs in the
2A 1A equations but the answer would be the
V2 2 
same.

Loop 1: 20 - V1 = 61 + 11 - 41 - 11 = 6 + 1 - 4 - 1 = 2

 V1 = 20 - 2 = 18 V
Loop 2: V1 - V2 = 18 - V2 = 11 + 41 + 22
 V2 = 18 - 9 = 9 V

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Example 2:

I1 I2 V1 = 6 V
V1 V2
V2 = 12 V
I3 R1 = 100 
2 R 2 = 120 
R1 1 R2
R 3 = 270 
R 4 = 330 

R3 R4

Point Rule: I  0  I1  I 2  I 3  0  I 3  I1  I 2

Loop Rule:  V   IR Note that there are only two independent variables
(I1 & I2) so that only two equations are required.

Loop 1: R2I3 + R3I1 + R1I1 = -V1

 R2(I1 - I2) + R3I1 + R1I1 = -V1
 (R1 + R2 + R3)I1 - R2I2 = -V1
 490 I1 - 120 I2 = -6 - (1)

Loop 2: R4I2 - R2I3 = V2

 R4I2 - R2(I1 - I2) = V2
 -R2I1 + (R2 + R4)I2 = V2
 -120 I1 + 450 I2 = 12 - (2)

Solving equations (1) & (2) and calculating I3 using Point Rule gives:
I1 = -0.0061 A I2 = 0.0250 A I3 = -0.0311 A
Note that the negative signs for I1 and I3 tell us that the currents are in the OPPOSITE
DIRECTION to that shown on the diagram. Since we generally don’t know the directions of
the currents before solving the problem, we just arbitrarily assign directions. If you get a
negative answer for a current you just reverse the direction of the current.

Answer: I1 = 0.0061 A  I2 = 0.0250 A  I3 = 0.0311 A 

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A trick question: Find V and I.

20  20 
I

+ 30  V
12V

26-3 Kirchhoff’s Rules

Example 26-9: Using Kirchhoff’s rules.
Calculate the currents I1, I2, and I3 in the three
branches of the circuit in the figure.

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Example 26-9: Using Kirchhoff’s rules.

Calculate the currents I1, I2, and I3 in the three branches of
the circuit in the figure.
Point Rule gives: I3 = I1 + I2

Loop 1: V2 = r(I1 + I2) + R2(I1 + I2) +R1I1

Loop 2: V1 + V2 = r(I1 + I2) + R2(I1 + I2) + rI2 + R3I2

45 = 1(I1 + I2) + 40(I1 + I2) + 30I1

80 + 45 = 1(I1 + I2) + 40(I1 + I2) + 1.I2 + 20I2

71I1 +41I2 = 45
41I1 + 62I2 = 125

Solve gives:

I1 = -0.86 A
I2 = 2.59 A
I3 = I1 + I2 = 1.73 A

Note that I1 is NEGATIVE

 I1 is to LEFT

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26-5 Circuits Containing Resistor

and Capacitor (RC Circuits)
When the switch is
closed, the
capacitor will begin
to charge. As it
does, the voltage
across it increases,
and the current
through the resistor
decreases.

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

26-5 Circuits Containing Resistor

and Capacitor (RC Circuits)
To find the voltage as a function of time, we
write the equation for the voltage changes
around the loop:

Since Q = dI/dt, we can integrate to find the

charge as a function of time:

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

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26-5 Circuits Containing Resistor

and Capacitor (RC Circuits)
The voltage across the capacitor is VC = Q/C:

The quantity RC that appears in the exponent

is called the time constant of the circuit:

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

26-5 Circuits Containing Resistor

and Capacitor (RC Circuits)

The current at any time t can be found by

differentiating the charge:

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26-5 Circuits Containing Resistor

and Capacitor (RC Circuits)
Example 26-11: RC circuit,
with emf.
The capacitance in the circuit shown
is C = 0.30 μF, the total resistance is
20 kΩ, and the battery emf is 12 V.
Determine (a) the time constant, (b)
the maximum charge the capacitor
could acquire, (c) the time it takes
for the charge to reach 99% of this
value, (d) the current I when the
charge Q is half its maximum value,
(e) the maximum current, and (f) the
charge Q when the current I is 0.20
its maximum value.
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Example 26-11: RC circuit, with emf.

Determine (a) the time constant C = 0.30 μF
  RC  20  10  0.30  10 3 6 R = 20 kΩ
E = 12 V
 6.0  10 3 s  6.0 ms

(b) the maximum charge the capacitor

could acquire

Q  CE  0.3  10 6  12
 3.6  10 6 C  3.6 μC

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Example 26-11: RC circuit, with emf.

Determine (c) the time it takes for the C = 0.30 μF
charge to reach 99% of Qmax
R = 20 kΩ
E = 12 V
Q  CE 1  e RC   Qmax 1  e RC 
t t

   
t
Q  0.99  1  e RC
Qmax
t
e RC  1  0.99  0.01
t  ln 0.01
RC
t   RC ln 0.01
 6.0 10 3 (4.6)  28 10 3 s  28 ms

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Example 26-11: RC circuit, with emf.

Determine (d) the current I when the C = 0.30 μF
charge Q is half its maximum value
R = 20 kΩ
3.6 10 6
Qmax E = 12 V
Q   1.8 10 6 C
2 2
Q 1.8 10 6
Q  CVC  VC    6.0 V I
C 0.3 10 6
Apply Kirchhoff ' s Law to Loop (S is closed)
-
Note : VC opposes charging current VC
E  VC +
E  VC  IR  I 
R
12  6
  300  10 6 A  300 μA
20  10 3

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

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Example 26-11: RC circuit, with emf.

Determine (e) the maximum current C = 0.30 μF
I max when VC  0 R = 20 kΩ
E 12
E = 12 V
I max    600  106 A  600 μA
R 20  10 3

(f) the charge Q when the current I is

0.20 its maximum value.
0.2Imax = 12010-6 A

E  IR  Q  Q  C E  IR 
C

 0.3  106 12  120  106  20  103 
6
 2.9  10 C  2.9 μC

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

26-5 Circuits Containing Resistor

and Capacitor (RC Circuits)
If an isolated charged
capacitor is
connected across a
resistor, it discharges:

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26-5 Circuits Containing Resistor

and Capacitor (RC Circuits)
Once again, the voltage and current as a
function of time can be found from the
charge:

and

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

26-5 Circuits Containing Resistor and

Capacitor (RC Circuits)
Example 26-12: Discharging RC circuit.
In the RC circuit shown, the battery has fully charged the
capacitor, so Q0 = CE. Then at t = 0 the switch is thrown from
position a to b. The battery emf is 20.0 V, and the
capacitance C = 1.02 μF. The current I is observed to
decrease to 0.50 of its initial value in 40 μs. (a) What is the
value of Q, the charge on the capacitor, at t = 0? (b) What is
the value of R? (c) What is Q at t = 60 μs?

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