Kirchhoff's circuit laws

<p>Kirchhoff's circuit laws are two <a href="/facts/Equality_(mathematics)/AQCuumLg">equalities</a> that deal with the <a href="/facts/Electric_current/Dc1xdnUX">current</a> and <a href="/facts/Potential_difference/EN2po6N2">potential difference</a> (commonly known as voltage) in the <a href="/facts/Lumped_element_model/Nqtt18v5">lumped element model</a> of <a href="/facts/Electrical_circuit/zt94kTW0">electrical circuits</a>. They were first described in 1845 by German physicist <a href="/facts/Gustav_Kirchhoff/Ygfzlywy">Gustav Kirchhoff</a>. This generalized the work of <a href="/facts/Georg_Ohm/C9AXNDAg">Georg Ohm</a> and preceded the work of <a href="/facts/James_Clerk_Maxwell/jtYyze61">James Clerk Maxwell</a>. Widely used in <a href="/facts/Electrical_engineering/YYXW1KLW">electrical engineering</a>, they are also called Kirchhoff's rules or simply Kirchhoff's laws. These laws can be applied in time and frequency domains and form the basis for <a href="/facts/Network_analysis_(electrical_circuits)/IjmVqbG8">network analysis</a>.
</p><p>Both of Kirchhoff's laws can be understood as corollaries of <a href="/facts/Maxwell%27s_equations/LfJ1drHS">Maxwell's equations</a> in the low-frequency limit. They are accurate for DC circuits, and for AC circuits at frequencies where the wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation are very large compared to the circuits.
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Kirchhoff's circuit laws open-in-new

Kirchhoff's circuit laws