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

Telangana TsbieTelangana Board of Intermediate Education 2025Subjective· 8mImportance★★★★★
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Kirchhoff's junction rule (charge conservation) and loop rule (energy conservation) applied to the two loops of a Wheatstone bridge, with zero galvanometer current at balance, give the condition P/Q = R/S.

Kirchhoff's Laws

1. Junction Rule (Kirchhoff's Current Law, KCL): At any junction (node) in an electrical network, the algebraic sum of all the currents meeting at that junction is zero:

∑I=0\sum I = 0

i.e., the sum of currents flowing into a junction equals the sum of currents flowing out of it. This follows from conservation of electric charge - charge cannot accumulate indefinitely at a junction in steady state.

2. Loop Rule (Kirchhoff's Voltage Law, KVL): Around any closed loop in a network, the algebraic sum of the potential differences (products of current and resistance, IRIR) and the emfs in that loop is zero:

∑IR+∑ε=0\sum IR + \sum \varepsilon = 0

This follows from conservation of energy - the net change in electric potential around any closed path must be zero.

Application to the Wheatstone Bridge

A Wheatstone bridge consists of four resistances P,Q,R,SP, Q, R, S arranged in a bridge (rhombus) between four junctions A, B, C, D: PP between A-B, QQ between B-C, RR between A-D, SS between D-C. A battery (with a key) is connected between A and C, and a galvanometer between B and D.

At the balance condition, the bridge is adjusted so that no current flows through the galvanometer (Ig=0I_g = 0). Then, since B and D carry no current between them:

  • The same current I1I_1 flows through PP (A to B) and then continues through QQ (B to C).
  • The same current I2I_2 flows through RR (A to D) and then continues through SS (D to C).

Applying the loop rule to loop A-B-D-A (going through PP, then galvanometer - zero current so no IR drop across it, then RR back to A):

Since Ig=0I_g = 0, points B and D are at the same potential. So the potential drop from A to B (through P) equals the potential drop from A to D (through R):

I1P=I2R...(i)I_1 P = I_2 R \quad \text{...(i)}

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