Part Two

So last post I told ya'll that I would discuss KCL and KVL in this post.

First off KCL stands for Kirchhoff Current Law and KVL stands for Kirchhoff Voltage Law.

These laws are named after a German university professor, Gustav Kirchhoff, from 1824-1887.

First let's start with KCL. KCL is the sum of the currents entering a node is equal to the sum of the currents leaving the node.
 Here is an example:

the arrows indicate the direction of flow. So 4A+ab=4.5A+4A+2A Then use basic algebra to solve for ab.

Next We have KVL which is the sum of the Voltages in a loop is equal to zero. This is where the passive sign convention and polarity of an element is important.


Here is an Example: V1 is unknown, V2=2 volt, V3=4 volt, and V4=1 volt

When you add the voltages you add them by the terminal the loop enters. So this example would be V4-V1-V2+V3=0 so you enter the numbers from above and solve using algebra.

For a more in depth explanation of these examples check out
 http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/mastascu/elessonshtml/Basic/Basic5Kv.html

And remember the more you practice the better you will get.