Solving a DC circuit Using Superposition Theorem

in LTspice
Iamin Md. Himel
Department of Electrical Engineering
Leading University
Email: [email protected]

Abstract—In this experiment, we used LTspice to analyze a – One 10V independent voltage source
DC circuit by applying the Superposition Theorem. The main – One 4A independent current source
goal was to understand how each independent source in a linear – Resistors: 2Ω, 3Ω, and 5Ω
circuit contributes to the overall voltage. To do this, we first built
a simple DC circuit with more than one independent source. • Pen and Notebook – For taking notes, writing theoretical
Then, we turned off all sources except one at a time—replacing calculations, and recording simulation results.
voltage sources with short circuits—and measured the resulting • Calculator – For verifying theoretical calculations man-
voltages. After repeating this for each source, we added the ually.
individual results together and compared them to the output
from the original circuit with all sources active. The results closely III. C IRCUIT D IAGRAMS
matched, confirming that the Superposition Theorem holds true.
This experiment helped us learn both the practical use of LTspice
and the theoretical concept behind superposition in electrical
circuits.
Index Terms—Superposition Theorem, DC Circuit, LTspice,
Independent Source, Voltage, Circuit Analysis

I. I NTRODUCTION
In electrical engineering, understanding how different
sources affect a circuit is essential. The Superposition Theorem
helps simplify this process by allowing us to look at one
independent source at a time. This experiment is based on
that idea and focuses on analyzing a DC circuit using the
Superposition Theorem. Today, engineers often use software
like LTspice to test and analyze circuits before building them.
That’s why learning to apply these theoretical methods in
LTspice is both practical and relevant.The main goal of this Fig. 1. Main circuit diagram
experiment is to find the voltage across a resistor (Vo ) in a
circuit that has both a voltage source and a current source. We This setup allowed for both theoretical and simulated veri-
will do this by turning on one source at a time, measuring how fication of the Superposition Theorem in a DC circuit.
it affects Vo , and then adding the results to get the final answer. IV. M ETHODOLOGY
This method shows how each source contributes separately and A. Materials
confirms that the Superposition Theorem works. We expect the
• Computer with LTspice software installed.
simulation to match the manual calculations closely.
• DC circuit diagram (as provided in the experiment).
II. E QUIPMENT AND M ATERIALS • Basic understanding of circuit theory and the Superposi-
tion Theorem.
To perform this experiment, the following equipment and
materials were used: B. Experimental Setup
• Computer or Laptop – Used to run the LTspice simu- The circuit consists of:
lation software. • A 10V independent voltage source
• LTspice Software – A free circuit simulation tool used • A 4A independent current source
to draw, simulate, and analyze the DC circuit. • Three resistors: 2Ω, 3Ω, and 5Ω
• DC Circuit Diagram – Provided as part of the exper- The output voltage Vo is measured across the 2Ω resistor.
iment, including a 10V voltage source, a 4A current The circuit was constructed and simulated in LTspice.All
source, and three resistors. simulations used DC operating point analysis (.op) to observe
• Circuit Components (within LTspice): steady-state voltage and current values.
C. Procedure
1) Drew the complete circuit in LTspice using the provided
diagram and Assigned correct values to all components.
2) Labeled the node across the 2Ω resistor as Vo to measure
the voltage.
Fig. 4. Both source(active)
3) Case-1: Voltage Source Only
• Replaced the current source (4A) with an open VI. D ISCUSSION
circuit. The results from LTspice clearly show that the total voltage
• Ran the simulation and record the voltage across the across the 2Ω resistor is nearly equal to the sum of voltages
2Ω resistor (Vo1 ). caused by each independent source acting alone. This confirms
4) Case-2: Current Source Only the Superposition Theorem in practice. Any small differences
• Replaced the voltage source (10V) with a short in the values are due to simulation precision. The experiment
circuit. also shows how LTspice can be a powerful tool for verifying
• Ran the simulation and record the voltage across the theoretical concepts through circuit simulation.
2Ω resistor (Vo2 ). VII. C ONCLUSION
5) Final Step: In this experiment, we successfully applied the Superpo-
• Added the individual voltages: Vo = Vo1 + Vo2 . sition Theorem to analyze a DC circuit using LTspice. By
considering the effect of each independent source separately
and then summing their contributions, we were able to calcu-
V. O BSERVATION AND TABLE late the voltage across the 2Ω resistor. The simulation results
closely matched the expected outcome, confirming that the
Superposition Theorem holds true. This experiment not only
TABLE I helped strengthen our understanding of circuit theory but also
O BSERVATION OF O UTPUT VOLTAGE (Vo ) UNDER D IFFERENT S OURCE
C ONDITIONS
demonstrated how useful simulation tools like LTspice are for
verifying theoretical principles in a practical way.
Case No. Source Condition LTspice Setup Measured Vo (V)
1 Only Voltage Source Active Current source opened 2.000111
2 Only Current Source Active Voltage source shorted 4.000000
3 Both Sources Active Full circuit (no source removed) 5.999889

Using LTspice, we measured the voltage Vo across the

2Ω resistor under different source conditions. When only the
voltage source was active, Vo = 2.000111V. When only
the current source was active, Vo = 4.000000V. When both
sources were active, the total voltage was Vo = 5.999889V.
The sum of the individual voltages closely matches the total,
verifying the Superposition Theorem.

Fig. 2. Only voltage source

Fig. 3. Only current source