Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) is one of the fundamental principles in electrical circuit analysis. It states that the sum of the voltages around any closed loop in a circuit must be equal to zero. In other words, the algebraic sum of the voltage drops and voltage rises encountered while traversing a closed loop in a circuit is always zero.
KVL is based on the principle of conservation of energy in electrical circuits. It ensures that the energy supplied by a voltage source is equal to the energy consumed by the various components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, etc.) in the circuit.
Mathematically, KVL can be expressed as follows:
ΣV = 0
Where:
ΣV represents the sum of all voltages encountered while traveling around a closed loop in a circuit.
The sum includes both voltage drops (negative values) across passive elements like resistors, capacitors, and inductors, as well as voltage rises (positive values) across active elements like batteries and voltage sources.
KVL is a key tool for analyzing complex circuits, as it provides a systematic way to write and solve equations that relate the voltages and currents in different parts of a circuit. It's an essential concept for anyone studying electrical engineering or working with electrical circuits.