ELECTRIC CIRCUITS AND NETWORKS

 Circuits

t (sec) = time
Q (coulombs) = quantity of electricity; for example, charge on a capacitor
I (amperes) = current, time rate of flow of electricity
E (volts) = electromotive force or voltage
R (ohms) = resistance
L (henrys) = inductance
C (farads) = capacitance.

By the definition of Q and I it follows that

l(t) = Q'(t).

Kirchhoff's laws:

(a) The sum of the currents into (or away from) any point is zero.
(b) Around any closed path the sum of the instantaneous voltage drops in a specified direction is
zero.

"RLC circuit"

Kirchhoff's current law (a) indicates merely that the current is the same throughout. That law
plays a larger role in networks, as we shall see later.

To apply Kirchhoff's voltage law (b), it is necessary to know the contributions of each of the
idealized elements. The voltage drop across the resistance is RI, that across the inductance is
LJ'(t), and that across the capacitor is c-1Q(t). The impressed electromotive force E(t) is
contributing a voltage rise.
Assume that at time t = 0 the switch is to be closed. At t = 0 there is no current flowing, J(O) = 0
and, if the capacitor is initially without charge, Q(O) = 0. From Kirchhoff's law (b), we get the
differential equation

LJ'(t) + RI(t) + c-1Q(t) = E(t), (1)

in which
J(t) = Q'(t). (2)

Equations (1) and (2), with the initial conditions

J(O) = 0, Q(O) = 0, (3)

constitute the problem to be solved.

The function J(t) may be eliminated from (1), (2), (3) to obtain the initial value problem

LQ"(t) + RQ'(t) + c-1Q(t) = E(t); Q(O) = 0, Q'(O) = 0. (4)

It follows that the circuit problem is equivalent to a problem in damped vibrations of a spring.
The resistance term RQ'(t) corresponds to the damping term in vibration problems. The
analogies between electrical and mechanical systems are useful in practice.

Initial value problems of the type given in equation (4) may be solved either by the general
theory of linear equations with constant coefficients or by the use of the Laplace transform. We
present here an example using each technique.

EXAMPLE: (a)
Find the current I(t) if the current at t = 0 is zero and E is a constant.

From equations (1) and (3) we have

LI'(t) + RI(t) = E; J(O) = 0.

This first-order linear equation may be written

 R E
(D + )1 =
L L

for which the general solution is

E R
I(t) = + c1 exp ( - - t).
R L

The initial condition I(0) = 0 requires that

E
O= +c1,
R

so that finally

E R
I(t)= [1 – exp ( - - t)]
R L

EXAMPLE: (b)
Let the switch be closed at t = 0. At some later time, t = t0, the direct current element, the
constant E, is to be removed from the circuit, which remains closed. Find the current for all t >
0.
The initial value problem to be solved is