Skip to content
Question of 42

Q.(a) State Kirchhoff's law for an electrical network. Using these laws deduce the condition for balance in a Wheatstone bridge.

(b) The four resistors 20 Ω, 40 Ω, (20 + x) Ω, 80 Ω respectively form a Wheatstone bridge. Find the value of “x”.
Andhra Pradesh BieapBIEAP Intermediate Board 2020Subjective· 8mImportance★★★★★
0% · 0/42 Questions
🔒 Locked · start free trial →

You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.

Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →

Kirchhoff's junction rule and loop rule, applied to the Wheatstone bridge, give the balance condition P/Q = R/S (no current through the galvanometer). For the given resistors, this yields x = 20 Ω.

(a) Kirchhoff's laws and the Wheatstone bridge balance condition:

Kirchhoff's first law (junction/current rule): At any junction in an electrical circuit, the algebraic sum of currents meeting at that junction is zero — i.e., the total current entering a junction equals the total current leaving it. This follows from conservation of charge (charge cannot accumulate indefinitely at a junction in steady state).

∑I=0 at a junction\sum I = 0 \text{ at a junction}

Kirchhoff's second law (loop/voltage rule): The algebraic sum of the potential differences (IR products) and the EMFs around any closed loop in a circuit is zero. This follows from conservation of energy (the electrostatic field is conservative).

∑ε=∑IR around a closed loop\sum \varepsilon = \sum IR \text{ around a closed loop}

Wheatstone bridge balance condition: A Wheatstone bridge has four resistors P, Q, R, S arranged in a diamond (bridge) shape, with a galvanometer connected between the midpoints of two opposite arms (B and D) and a battery across the other two (A and C). Applying the junction rule at B and D, and the loop rule to loops ABDA and BCDB, and imposing the balance condition that no current flows through the galvanometer (Ig=0I_g = 0):

…

Unlock everything free for 14 days

  • Full step-by-step solutions
  • Concept-first explanations
  • Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
  • PYQ mapping + timed mock tests

Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.