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

(b) Three identical resistors are connected in parallel and total resistance of the circuit is R/3. Find the value of each resistance.
Andhra Pradesh BieapBIEAP Intermediate Board 2026Subjective· 8mImportance★★★★★
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Figure — The Wheatstone-bridge balance derivation reasons from the labelled P-Q-R-S diamond with galvanometer and batte
Figure — The Wheatstone-bridge balance derivation reasons from the labelled P-Q-R-S diamond with galvanometer and batte

Kirchhoff's current law (junction rule) and voltage law (loop rule) applied to a Wheatstone bridge circuit give the balance condition P/Q = R/S; for three identical resistors in parallel with combined resistance R/3, each resistor must itself equal R.

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

Kirchhoff's Current Law (Junction/First Law): At any junction in an electrical network, the algebraic sum of currents meeting at that junction is zero (i.e. total current entering = total current leaving). This follows from conservation of charge.

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

Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (Loop/Second Law): In any closed loop of a network, the algebraic sum of the potential differences (IR products) and the emfs is zero. This follows from conservation of energy.

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

Wheatstone bridge: It is a network of four resistors P, Q, R, S arranged in a rhombus/diamond, with a battery connected across one diagonal (through the P–Q side and R–S side) and a galvanometer connected across the other diagonal, connecting the P–Q junction to the R–S junction. At balance, no current flows through the galvanometer.

Apply KCL at the two junctions: if I1I_1 flows through P then also through R (since the galvanometer carries no current), and I2I_2 flows through Q then also through S.

Apply KVL to the loop containing P, the galvanometer, and Q: since no current (and hence no potential drop) occurs across the galvanometer at balance, the junction of P–Q and the junction of R–S are at the same potential, so

I1P=I2QandI1R=I2SI_1P = I_2Q\quad\text{and}\quad I_1R = I_2S

Dividing these two equations: …

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