diff --git a/Electronics/Voltage.md b/Electronics/Voltage.md index e717249..c891734 100644 --- a/Electronics/Voltage.md +++ b/Electronics/Voltage.md @@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ A 12V battery connected to a circuit gives it a voltage rise of 12 volts. Voltage drop is the corrolary to voltage rise. It is the loss of energy that the electrons of the circuit current experience as a result of encountering resistance. -As they move through the circuit the electrons encounter a **load** which is what we call resistance to the flow of electrons. As they run into this, they give up their energy. The relinquishing of energy happens in the form of a conversion of electrical energy to heat. The amount lost is equal to the amount of energy imparted by the voltage rise. +As they move through the circuit the electrons encounter a **load** which is what we call resistance to the flow of current. As they run into this, they give up their energy. The relinquishing of energy happens in the form of a conversion of electrical energy to heat. The amount lost is equal to the amount of energy imparted by the voltage rise. > The voltage drop in a circuit equals the the voltage rise of the circuit because energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed to another form. When a voltage rise is converted to a voltage drop we say that **the energy has been _consumed_ by the circuit**. @@ -52,6 +52,34 @@ As they move through the circuit the electrons encounter a **load** which is wha These examples demonstrate that the voltage rise: voltage drop ratio always evens out. +### Kirchoff's Voltage Law + +The relationship between voltage rise and voltage drop is expressed in Kirchoff's Voltage Law: + +> The sum of the voltages around any closed loop in a circuit must be zero. + +The application of the Law is illustrated in the following diagram: + +![](/img/voltage-drop.png) + +The explanation for the voltage drop at the positions $V^{A}$ and $V^{D}$ are obvious enough: they are at the beginning and end of the loop so are equal to the maximal voltage rise and minimal voltage drop, respectively. + +We can work out the voltage of the remaining voltage points by inverting [Ohm's Law](/Electronics/Physics_of_electricity/Ohms_Law.md): $V = I \times R$: + +For the voltage at $V^{B}$: + +$$ + 0.5\textsf{mA} \times \textsf{4}k\Omega = 2 \textsf{V} +$$ + +For the voltage at $V^{C}$: + +$$ + 0.5\textsf{mA} \times \textsf{6}k\Omega = 3 \textsf{V} +$$ + +The total drops (2V, 3V, 5V) are equal to the initial volatage rise (10V) + ## Distinguishing _voltage_ from _electric field_ It can be confusing that two different symbols often seemed to be used interchangeably when talking about voltage: $V$ and $E$. However, while they broadly point to the same phenomenon there is a difference in emphasis.