Consider an electrical network that contains several branches and two simple closed…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Current Electricity · Current Electricity
Problem
Consider an electrical network that contains several branches and two simple closed paths (meshes).
Answer the following questions with suitable reasoning.
(i) Define the terms (a) branch current and (b) loop (mesh) current.
(ii) A planar circuit has B independent branches and L independent simple loops. Explain why choosing loop currents instead of branch currents generally reduces the number of simultaneous equations that must be solved to determine all currents in the circuit.
(iii) For a circuit that contains a single resistor common to two adjacent loops, describe qualitatively how the assumed directions of the two loop currents affect the algebraic sign of the current through the shared resistor.