Q.State Kirchhoff's laws for an electrical network. Using these laws deduce the condition for balance in a Wheatstone bridge.
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 two laws (current conservation at junctions, voltage conservation around loops) let us analyse complex circuits; applied to the Wheatstone bridge at the null (balanced) condition, they give .
Kirchhoff's Laws
1. Junction rule (Kirchhoff's Current Law, KCL): At any junction in an electrical circuit, the algebraic sum of currents meeting at that junction is zero, i.e. the sum of currents entering the junction equals the sum of currents leaving it:
This follows from the conservation of electric charge — charge cannot accumulate at a junction in steady state.
2. Loop rule (Kirchhoff's Voltage Law, KVL): In any closed loop of a circuit, the algebraic sum of all the potential differences (EMFs and IR drops) around the loop is zero:
This follows from the conservation of energy — the net change in electric potential energy of a charge that returns to its starting point after going around a closed loop must be zero.
Wheatstone bridge balance condition
A Wheatstone bridge consists of four resistances , , , arranged in a quadrilateral ABCD, with a battery connected across one diagonal (A to C) and a galvanometer connected across the other diagonal (B to D).
At balance, no current flows through the galvanometer (). Let flow through and (arm A→B→C), and flow through and (arm A→D→C).
Applying the loop rule to loop ABDA (through the galvanometer branch, with ):
Applying the loop rule to loop BCDB:
…
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.