Mansoura University

Faculty of Engineering
Electrical Power & Machine Dept.

Theories of Electric Circuit Analysis

Technical Report

By
Khaled Ibrahim Abdel Aziz Hamid
Sec.3

Supervised By
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ebrahim A. Badran
 Abstract
This report deals with the fundamentals of electric circuits,
components and the mathematical tools used to represent and
analyze electrical circuits. In this report we will go through a detailed
study of Circuit Analysis Techniques.

Table of Contents

Introduction….…………………………………………………….………………………1
Electric Circuits Analysis………………..…………………….………………………2
Charge, Current and Voltage……………………………………………………..3
Circuit Elements..…………..………………………………………..……………….4
Ohm’s Law.….………………………….……………….……………………………..4
Nodes, Loops and Branches…………………………..…………………………4
Kirchhoff’s current law.….…………….……..…………...………………………..5
Kirchhoff’s voltage law.….…………….……..…………...………………………..6
Circuits Theorem…………………………………………………………………………6
Superposition Theorem……………………………………………………………6
Source Transformation….…….……..……………………………………………7
Thevenin’s Theorem……………….……………………………………………….7
Norton’s Theorem.…………………....…………….………………………………8
Methods of Network Analysis………………………………………………….8
Mech Analysis……………………………………………………………………..8
Nodal Analysis……..………………………………………………………………9
References………..……………………………………………………………………..9
 Introduction
Electric circuit theory and electromagnetic theory are the two
fundamental theories upon which all branches of electrical
engineering are built. Many branches of electrical engineering,
such as power, electric machines, control, electronics,
communications, and instrumentation, are based on electric circuit
theory. Therefore, the basic electric circuit theory course
is the most important course for an electrical engineering student,
and always an excellent starting point for a beginning student in
electrical engineering education.

Circuit theory is also valuable to students specializing in other

branches of the physical sciences because circuits are a good model
for the study of energy systems in general, and because of the
applied mathematics, physics, and topology involved.
In electrical engineering, we are often interested in communicating
or transferring energy from one point to another. To do this requires
an interconnection of electrical devices. Such interconnection is
referred to as an electric circuit, and each component of the circuit is
known as an element.

An electric circuit is an
interconnection of electrical elements.

A simple electrical circuit. This circuit has a

power source, a complete path for electrons
to flow, and a resistors the load

1
Electric Circuits Analysis

Before becoming involved in the details of circuit analysis, we need to take

a broad look at engineering design, specifically the design of electric
circuits. The purpose of this overview is to provide you with a perspective
on where circuit analysis fits within the whole of circuit design. Even
though this book focuses on circuit analysis, we try to provide opportunities
for circuit design where appropriate.
All engineering designs begin with a need, as shown in Fig. 1.4. This
need may come from the desire to improve on an existing design, or it may
be something brand-new. A careful assessment of the need results in
design specifications, which are measurable characteristics of a proposed
design. Once a design is proposed, the design specifications allow us to
assess whether or not the design actually meets the need.

A concept for the design comes next. The concept derives from a complete
understanding of the design specifications coupled with an insight into the
need, which comes from education and experience. The concept may be
realized as a sketch, as a written description, or in some other form. Often
the next step is to translate the concept into a mathematical model. A com-
monly used mathematical model for electrical systems is a circuit model.

2
Electric Charges
Charge is an electrical property of the atomic particles of which matter consists,
measured in coulombs (c)
The charge e on one electron is negative and equal in magnitude to
1.602  10-19 C which is called as electronic charge. The charges that occur in
nature are integral multiples of the electronic charge.

Electric Current
Electric current i=dq/dt the unit of Ampere can be derived as 1A=1C/s
A direct Current (DC) is the current the remains constant with the time,
an alternating current (AC) is a current that varies sinusoidally with time.

The direction of current flow:

Electric Voltage
Voltage (or potential difference) is the energy required to move a unit
charge through an element, measured in volts (V).

Mathematically, (volt)

w is energy in joules (J) and q is charge in coulomb (C).

Electric voltage, vab, is always across the circuit element or between

two points in a circuit.
vab > 0 means the potential of a is higher than potential of b.
vab < 0 means the potential of a is lower than potential of b.

3
Circuit Elements

Active Elements Passive Elements

Ohm’s Law
Ohm's Law deals with the relationship between voltage and
current in an ideal conductor. This relationship states that: The
potential difference (voltage) across an ideal conductor is
proportional to the current through it. The constant of
proportionality is called the "resistance", R.
Ohm's Law is given by: V = I R where V is the potential
difference between two points which include a resistance R. I is
the current flowing through the resistance.

Two extreme possible values of R: 0 (zero) and  (infinite)

are related with two basic circuit concepts: short circuit and
open circuit

Branches, Nodes and Loops

A branch represents a single element such as a
voltage source or a resistor.
A node is the point of connection between
two or more branches.
A loop is any closed path in a circuit.

4
A network with b branches, n nodes, and l
independent loops will satisfy the fundamental
theorem of network topology:
b=1+n-1

Kirchhoff’s Current Law

Kirchhoff’s current law (KCL) states that the algebraic sum of currents
entering a node (or a closed boundary) is zero.

Mathematically,  I k = 0

5
Kirchhoff’s voltage law
Kirchhoff’s voltage law (KVL) states that the algebraic sum of all
voltages around a closed path (or loop) is zero.

Matimatically, v n 0

Circuits theorems
Superposition Theorem It states that the voltage across (or current
through) an element in a linear circuit is the algebraic sum of the voltage across
(or currents through) that element due to EACH independent source acting
alone.
The principle of superposition helps us to analyze a linear circuit with more than
one independent source by calculating the contribution of each independent
source separately.

We consider the effects of the 8A

and 20V sources one by one, then
add the two effects together for
final v .
o

Steps to apply superposition principle

1) Turn off all independent sources except one source. Find the output (voltage
or current) due to that active source using nodal or mesh analysis.

2) Repeat step 1 for each of the other independent sources.

3) Find the total contribution by adding algebraically all the contributions

due to the independent sources.

6
Source Transformation
An equivalent circuit is one whose v-i characteristics are identical with
the original circuit.

It is the process of replacing a voltage source vS in series with a

resistor R by a current source iS in parallel with a resistor R, or vice
versa.

Thevenin’s Theorem
It states that a linear two-terminal circuit (Fig. a) can be replaced by
an equivalent circuit (Fig. b) consisting of
a voltage source VTH in series with a
resistor RTH,

Where:

VTh is the open-circuit voltage at the

terminals.
RTh is the input or equivalent
resistance at the terminals when the
independent sources are turned off.

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Norton’s Theorem

It states that a linear two-terminal circuit can

be replaced by an equivalent circuit of a
current source IN in parallel with a resistor RN,
Where:
IN is the short circuit current through the terminals.
RN is the input or equivalent resistance at the
terminals when the independent sources are turned
off.

The Thevenin’s and Norton equivalent circuits are

related by a source transformation

Methods of Network Analysis

Mesh Analysis

1.Mesh analysis provides a general procedure for analyzing circuits

using mesh currents as the circuit variables.
2.Mesh analysis applies KVL to find unknown currents.
3.A mesh is a loop which does not contain any other loops within it
(independent loop).

Nodal Analysis
It provides a general procedure for analyzing circuits using node voltage
as the circuit variables.

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Steps to determine the node voltages:
a. Select a node as the reference node.
b. Assign voltages v1,v2,…,vn-1 to the remaining n-1 nodes. The voltages are
referenced with respect to the reference node.
c. Apply KCL to each of the n-1 non-reference nodes. Use Ohm’s law to express
the branch currents in terms of node voltages.
d. Solve the resulting simultaneous equations to obtain the unknown node
voltages.

References
Fundamentals of Electric Circuits 5th edition by Charles K. Alexander & Mathew N.O. Sadiku
Electric Circuits 9th Edition by James W. Nilsson and Susan Riedel
Electric Circuits Theory. Michael E.Auer. 24.10.2012. EE01
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_circuit
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/direct-current/chpt-10/mesh-current-method/
http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/dccircuits/dcp_6.html