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Kirchhoff’s current law

Network analysis · Intermediate · about 15 minutes · part of Zen’s Electronics Design Mastery

Charge does not pile up at a node: the current flowing into a junction equals the current flowing out.

Kirchhoff’s current law: the circuit on the simulator's bench

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How it works

At node X: (V1 − VX)/R1 + (V2 − VX)/R4 = VX/R2 + VX/R3

VX = 6.63 V. In: 5.37 mA from V1 and -346.9 µA from V2. Out: 3.014 mA + 2.009 mA.

Try it on the bench

  1. Turn V2 down to 0 V. Current through R4 now flows out of X instead of in, and the sum still balances.
  2. Add another resistor from X to ground.

Parts on the bench

In the course

Zen’s Electronics Design Mastery, module “DC Circuit Analysis”.

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