EEE/ETI 1202

CIRCUITS & NETWORK THEORY I

LECTURE 2

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 Voltage and Current Sources
 The term voltage source is used to describe a source of energy which
establishes a potential difference across its terminals.
 Most of the sources encountered in everyday life are voltage sources e.g.,
batteries, d.c. generators, alternators etc.
 The term current source is used to describe a source of energy that provides
a current e.g., collector circuits of transistors.
 Voltage and current sources are called active elements because they provide
electrical energy to a circuit
 An ideal voltage source (also called constant-voltage source) is one that
maintains a constant terminal voltage, no matter how much current is
drawn from it.
 An ideal voltage source has zero internal resistance.
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 A real or non-ideal voltage source has low but finite internal resistance
(Rint) that causes its terminal voltage to decrease when load current is
increased and vice-versa.

 An ideal current source or constant current source is one which will supply
the same current to any resistance (load) connected across its terminals. An
ideal current source has infinite internal resistance.

 A real or non-ideal current source has high but finite internal resistance
(Rint). Therefore, the load current (IL) will change as the value of load
resistance (RL) changes.

 A real current source can be represented by an ideal current source (I) in

parallel with its internal resistance (Rint)
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 Voltage to current source conversion.
Source Conversion

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 Current to voltage source conversion.
 Fig. (i) shows a real current source whereas Fig.(ii) shows its equivalent
voltage source. Note that series resistance Rint of the voltage source has the
same value as the parallel resistance of the original current source. The value
of voltage of the equivalent voltage source is E = ISRint where IS is the
magnitude of current of the current source.

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Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL)

Current Entering & Exiting a Node

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Current (mA)
5

0
Entering Exiting
Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL)

V1 V2 V3 V4
Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL)
V2
Voltage Rise (-V)

V1 V3
Voltage Drop (+V)

Voltage Drop (+V)

V4
Method to Solve Circuits by Kirchhoff’s Laws
• (i) Assume unknown currents in the given circuit and show their
direction by arrows.

• (ii) Choose any closed circuit and find the algebraic sum of voltage
drops plus the algebraic sum of e.m.fs in that loop.

• (iii) Put the algebraic sum of voltage drops plus the algebraic sum of
e.m.fs equal to zero.

• (iv) Write equations for as many closed circuits as the number of

unknown quantities. Solve equations to find unknown currents.

• (v) If the value of the assumed current comes out to be negative, it

means that actual direction of current is opposite to that of assumed
direction.
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 Practice

• For the circuit shown in Fig. below, find the currents flowing
in all branches.

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 Practice

• Two batteries E1 and E2 having e.m.fs of 6V and 2V respectively and

internal resistances of 2 Ω and 3 Ω respectively are connected in
parallel across a 5 Ω resistor. Calculate (i) current through each battery
and (ii) terminal voltage.

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Solution

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 Practice Question

• Find the current in and voltage across 2Ω resistor in Fig. below.

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Solution

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 Practice Question

• Using source transformation, determine the voltage across the 5Ω resistor in

the circuit shown below: [5.3 V]

• Using source transformation, determine the current across the 4Ω resistor in

the circuit shown below: [1.78A]

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 Practice Question
• Find the current in 28 Ω resistor in the circuit shown in
Fig. below. [2 A]

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 Practice Questions

Qn.: Determine the currents supplied by each Use Kirchhoff’s laws to determine
battery in the circuit shown below using Kirchhoff’s the currents flowing in each branch
laws. of the network shown in Fig (b).

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 Dependent Voltage and Current Sources

• A dependent source provides a voltage or current between its output

terminals which depends upon another variable such as voltage or
current

• A dependent source is represented by a *diamond-shaped symbol.

• There are four possible dependent sources :

i. Voltage-dependent voltage source

ii. Current-dependent voltage source

iii. Voltage-dependent current source

iv. Current-dependent current source

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 Mesh Analysis
• Mesh analysis is a process that uses KVL to
determine loop/mesh currents.

• Mesh currents are assigned to all independent

loops.

• To solve for all loop/mesh currents, write a

KVL equation for all independent meshes and
then solve.
 Maxwell’s Mesh Current Method

• In this method, Kirchhoff’s voltage law is applied to a network to write

mesh equations in terms of mesh currents instead of branch currents.
• Each mesh is assigned a separate mesh current. This mesh current is
assumed to flow clockwise around the perimeter of the mesh without
splitting at a junction into branch currents.
• KVL is then applied to write equations in terms of unknown mesh
currents.
• The branch currents are then found by taking the algebraic sum of the
mesh currents which are common to that branch.
• Explanation. Maxwell’s mesh current method consists of following steps
:
• (i) Each mesh is assigned a separate mesh current. For convenience, all
mesh currents are assumed to flow in *clockwise direction. For example,
in Fig. below, meshes ABDA and BCDB have been assigned mesh currents
I1 and I2 , respectively.
• The mesh currents take on the appearance of a mesh fence and hence the
name mesh currents. 20
• (ii) If two mesh currents are flowing through a circuit element, the
actual current in the circuit element is the algebraic sum of the two.
Thus in Fig. below, there are two mesh currents I1 and I2 flowing in R2.
If we go from B to D, current is I1 – I2 and if we go in the other
direction (i.e. from D to B), current is I2 – I1.

• (iii) Kirchhoff’s voltage law is applied to write equation for each mesh
in terms of mesh currents. Remember, while writing mesh equations,
rise in potential is assigned positive sign and fall in potential negative
sign.

• (iv) If the value of any mesh current comes out to be negative in the
solution, it means that true direction of that mesh current is
anticlockwise i.e. opposite to the assumed clockwise direction. 21
Figure for Mesh Illustration

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 Practice Problems

• In the network shown in Fig.(i), find the magnitude and direction

of each branch current by mesh current method.

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Solution

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By determinant method

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 Practice Problem
• Calculate the current in each branch of the circuit shown in
Fig. (a).

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Solution

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 Practice
• By using mesh resistance matrix, determine the current supplied by
each battery in the circuit shown in Fig. below

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29
 Practice
• Using mesh current method, determine current Ix in the
circuit shown in Fig below. [0.091A]

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 Practice Question

• Using mesh current method, find the currents in resistances R3, R4,
R5 and R6 of the circuit shown in Fig. (i)

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Solution

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 Practice Question

• Use mesh current method to determine currents through each

of the components in the circuit shown in Fig. below.

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Practice Question

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Solution

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 Practice Question

• Find the total power delivered in the circuit using mesh-

current method.

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