Electrical Circuit

ENG-303/ENG-331

Chapter 3- Methods of Analysis

Mesh and Nodal Analysis : Chapter 3
3.1 Motivation

3.2 Nodal analysis.

3.3 Nodal analysis with voltage sources.

3.4 Mesh analysis.

3.5 Mesh analysis with current sources.

3.6 Nodal and mesh analysis by inspection.

3.7 Nodal versus mesh analysis.

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3.1 Motivation
If you are given the following circuit, how can we
determine
(1) the voltage across each resistor?
(2) the current through each resistor?
(3) the power generated by each current source, etc.

What are the things which we need to

know in order to determine the answers?
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3.1 Motivation

Things we need to know in solving any resistive circuit with

current and voltage sources only:

•Kirchhoff’s Current Laws (KCL)

• Kirchhoff’s Voltage Laws (KVL)
• Ohm’s Law

How should we apply these laws to determine the

answers?
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3.2 Nodal Analysis

It provides a general procedure for analyzing circuits using node

voltages as the circuit variables.

Example 1:
Variables:
𝒊 𝟏 , 𝒊 𝟐 , 𝒊 𝟑 , 𝒊 𝟒 , 𝑽𝟏 , 𝑽𝟐 ,

Reference node
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3.2 Nodal Analysis

Steps to determine the node voltages:

1. Select a node as the reference node (Ground = zero potential).

2. Assign voltages v1,v2,…,vn-1 to the remaining n-1 nodes

(without the voltage node). The voltages are referenced with
respect to the reference node.

3. Apply KCL to each of the n-1 non-reference nodes. Use Ohm’s

law to express the branch currents in terms of node voltages.

4. Solve the resulting simultaneous equations to obtain the

unknown node voltages.
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3.2 Nodal Analysis : Example
At node 1, applying KCL gives

At node 2,

To obtain the node voltages and using any standard method, such
as the substitution method, the elimination method, Cramer’s rule, or matrix inversion.
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 3.2 Nodal Analysis

Example 2 – circuit independent current source only

Apply KCl at
node 1 and 2 v1 v2

*Refer to in-class illustration, textbook, answer v1 = -2V, v2 = -14V

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3.2 Nodal Analysis: Solution
At node 1, applying KCL gives:

𝑉1 𝑉1 −𝑉2
1= 𝑖1 + 𝑖2 ⇒1= + ⇒ 4𝑉1 − 𝑉2 = 6
2 6

› At node 2,

4= 𝑖3 − 𝑖2 ⇒ 7𝑉1 − 13𝑉2 = 168

Using Cramer’s rule:

∆= -45.

𝑉1 = ∆1/ ∆= -2V

𝑉2 = ∆2/ ∆= -14V

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Definition: Independent Source
› An independent voltage source maintains a voltage (fixed or varying with time) which is
not affected by any other quantity. Similarly an independent current source maintains a
current (fixed or time-varying) which is unaffected by any other quantity. The usual
symbols are shown in the below figure.

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Definition: dependent Source
› Some voltage (current) sources have their voltage (current) values varying
with some other variables. They are called dependent voltage (current)
sources or controlled voltage (current) sources , and their usual symbols
are shown in the below figure.

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3.2 Nodal Analysis

Example 3 – current with dependent current source.

This circuit has 3 nonreference nodes.

Original circuit Circuit for analysis

*Refer to in-class illustration, textbook, answer v1= 4.8V, v2 = 2.4V, v3 = -2.4V

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3.3 Nodal Analysis with Voltage Source
Voltage source is connected between the
reference node and a nonreference
node, we simply set the voltage at the
nonreference node equal to the voltage
of the voltage source.

If the voltage source (dependent or

independent) is connected between two
nonreference nodes, the two nonreference
nodes form a generalized node or supernode;
we apply both KCL and KVL to determine the
node voltages.

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3.3 Nodal Analysis with Voltage Source

A super-node is formed by enclosing a (dependent or independent)

voltage source connected between two non-reference nodes and

any elements connected in parallel with it.

*Note: We analyze a circuit with super-nodes using the same three

steps mentioned above except that the super-nodes are treated

differently.
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3.3 Nodal Analysis with Voltage Source

Basic steps:

1. Take off all voltage sources in super-nodes and apply

KCL to super-nodes.

2. Put voltage sources back to the nodes and apply KVL

to relative loops.

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3.3 Nodal Analysis with Voltage Source

Example 4 –circuit with independent voltage source

Super-node
contains the 2-V
source, nodes 1
and 2, and 10
Ohms

How to handle the 2V voltage source?

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3.3 Nodal Analysis with Voltage Source (4)

Example 4 – circuit with independent voltage source

Super-node => 2-i1-i2-7 = 0 ; v2= -20-2v1

Apply KVL => -v1 - 2+v2 = 0;

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3.3 Nodal Analysis with Voltage Source
Example 5 – circuit with two independent voltage sources

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3.3 Nodal Analysis with Voltage Source

Example 6– circuit with two independent voltage sources

-i1-i2 + i3 = 0 -i3-i5-i4 + i1 = 0 -v1+20+v2 = 0 -v3+3vx+v4 = 0

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3.4 Mesh Analysis
– A mesh is a loop which does not contain any other loops within it.

– A loop is a closed path with no node passed more than once

– Mesh analysis provides another general procedure for analyzing circuits using mesh
currents as the circuit variables.

– Nodal Analysis applies KCL to find unknown voltages in a given circuit, while mesh
analysis applies KVL to find unknown currents.

– Mesh analysis is not quite as general as nodal analysis because it is only applicable to a
circuit that is planar.

– A planar circuit is one that can be drawn in a plane with no branches crossing one
another; otherwise it is nonplanar.

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3.4 Mesh Analysis
› Steps to determine the mesh currents:

1. Assign mesh currents i1, i2, …, in to the n meshes.

2. Apply KVL to each of the n meshes. Use Ohm’s law to express the
voltages in terms of the mesh currents.

3. Solve the resulting n simultaneous equations to get the mesh currents.

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 3.4 Mesh Analysis
Example 8 – circuit with independent voltage sources ( without current
source)
1- step: A mesh current may be
assigned to each mesh in an arbitrary
direction, it is conventional to assume
that each mesh current
flows clockwise.

Note:
i1 and i2 are mesh current (imaginative, not measurable
directly)
I1, I2 and I3 are branch current (real, measurable
directly)
I 1 = i 1 ; I 2 = i 2; I 3 = i 1 - i 2
*Refer to in-class illustration, textbook
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3.4 Mesh Analysis
Example 9 – circuit with dependent voltage source

*Refer to in-class illustration, textbook, answer Io = 1.5A

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3.5 Mesh Analysis with Current Source
Circuit with current source: case 1

When a current source exists only in one mesh: Consider the circuit in the figure, for
example. We set A and write a mesh equation for the other mesh in the usual way; that
is,

*Refer to in-class illustration, textbook

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 3.5 Mesh Analysis with Current Source
Circuit with current source
Therefore, applying KVL to the supermesh:
We apply KCL to a node in the branch where the
two meshes intersect. Applying KCL to node 0

A super-mesh results when two meshes have a (dependent or independent) current

source in common as shown in (a). We create a super-mesh by excluding the current
source and any elements connected in series with it as shown in (b).

*Refer to in-class illustration, textbook

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3.5 Mesh Analysis with Current Source
The properties of a super-mesh:

1.The current source in the super-mesh is not completely

ignored; it provides the constraint equation necessary to solve
for the mesh currents.

2. A super-mesh has no current of its own.

3. A super-mesh requires the application of both KVL and KCL.

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3.5 Mesh Analysis with Current Source
Find 𝑖1 to 𝑖4 using mesh analysis.

*Refer to in-class illustration, textbook 27

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3.5 Mesh Analysis with Current Source
Find 𝑖1 to 𝑖4 using mesh analysis.

*Refer to in-class illustration, textbook 28

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3.6 Nodal and Mesh Analysis with
Inspection
› This section presents a generalized procedure for nodal or
mesh analysis.

› When all sources in a circuit are independent current sources,

we do not need to apply KCL to each node to obtain the node-
voltage equations as we did in Lecture 3.

› We can obtain the equations by mere inspection of the circuit.

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3.6 Nodal and Mesh Analysis with
Inspection
› Reexamine the circuit in Figure below:
› The circuit has two nonreference nodes

• Observe that each of the diagonal terms is the sum of the

conductances connected directly to node 1 or 2, while the
off-diagonal terms are the negatives of the conductances
connected between the nodes.
• Also, each term on the right-hand side of Eq. is the
algebraic sum of the currents entering the node.
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3.6 Nodal and Mesh Analysis with
Inspection
› In general, if a circuit with independent current sources has N
nonreference nodes, the node-voltage equations can be written
in terms of the conductances as:

𝐺𝐾𝐾 =Sum of the conductances connected to node k

𝐺𝐾𝑗 = 𝐺𝑗𝑘 Negative of the sum of the conductances directly connecting nodes k and
𝑣𝐾 = Unknown voltage at node k and j, k ≠j,
𝑖𝐾 = Sum of all independent current sources directly connected to node k, with currents
entering the node treated as positive
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3.6 Nodal and Mesh Analysis with Inspection
Example 10 – By inspection, write the nodal voltage equations
for the circuit

*Refer to in-class illustration, textbook

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3.6 Nodal and Mesh Analysis with
Inspection
We can obtain mesh-current equations by inspection when a linear resistive circuit has only
independent voltage sources. The circuit has two nonreference nodes and the node equations
were derived.

We notice that each of the diagonal terms is the sum of

the resistances in the related mesh, while each of the
off-diagonal terms is the negative of the resistance
common to meshes 1 and 2.

Each term on the right-hand side of Eq. is the algebraic

sum taken clockwise of all independent voltage sources
in the related mesh.

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3.6 Nodal and Mesh Analysis with
Inspection

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3.6 Nodal and Mesh Analysis with Inspection
Example 11 – By inspection, write the mesh-current equations
for the circuit

*Refer to in-class illustration, textbook

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3.7 Nodal versus Mesh Analysis
To select the method that results in the smaller number of equations. For
example:
1. Choose nodal analysis for circuit with fewer nodes than meshes.
*Choose mesh analysis for circuit with fewer meshes than nodes.
*Networks that contain many series connected elements, voltage
sources, or super-meshes are more suitable for mesh analysis.
*Networks with parallel-connected elements, current sources, or super-
nodes are more suitable for nodal analysis.
2. If node voltages are required, it may be expedient to apply nodal analysis.
If branch or mesh currents are required, it may be better to use mesh
analysis.

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