Why Does Kirchhoff's Voltage Law Apply to LR Circuits?

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SUMMARY

Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) applies to LR circuits due to three fundamental assumptions: no net charge on components, no external magnetic flux, and the circuit's size allowing for instantaneous light speed. These assumptions enable Maxwell's equations to simplify to Kirchhoff's laws, confirming their validity in non-steady circuits. The discussion clarifies that the electromotive force (ε) is defined as the line integral of force per unit charge, which is not necessarily equal to -dΦ/dt, where Φ represents magnetic flux. This distinction is crucial for understanding the relationship between induced EMF and pre-existing EMF in circuit analysis.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Kirchhoff's laws
  • Familiarity with Maxwell's equations
  • Basic knowledge of electromotive force (EMF) and magnetic flux
  • Concept of non-steady circuits, specifically LR circuits
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation of Kirchhoff's laws from Maxwell's equations
  • Explore the implications of non-steady circuits in electrical engineering
  • Learn about the relationship between induced EMF and pre-existing EMF in circuit analysis
  • Investigate practical applications of LR circuits in real-world scenarios
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for electrical engineers, physics students, and educators seeking a deeper understanding of circuit theory, particularly in the context of non-steady LR circuits and the application of Kirchhoff's Voltage Law.

Lost1ne
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1) Take a non-steady circuit such as an LR circuit. Why does Kirchoff's voltage law work when analyzing such a circuit? Is it because we're assuming that dI/dt and thus dB/dt are approximately zero thus meaning that curl E is approximately zero?
2) ε, the electromotive force, is the line integral of the force per unit charge integrated around a circuit. Although I feel many texts don't make this distinction clear (maybe because it's trivial), this is not necessarily equal to -dΦ/dt, Φ being the magnetic flux through our designated surface following Faraday's Law, correct? If so, we would already have a clear contradiction using an example like a steady circuit consisting of a battery and a resistor. -dΦ/dt is only the induced EMF, and this adds algebraically with a pre-existing EMF, right? In the end, the net EMF must follow the line integral definition.
 
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Lost1ne said:
Take a non-steady circuit such as an LR circuit. Why does Kirchoff's voltage law work when analyzing such a circuit?
Circuit theory is based on three assumptions. The first is that there is no net charge on any component. The second is that there is no magnetic flux outside any component. The third is that the circuit is small enough that the speed of light can be considered to be instantaneous.

With those three assumptions Maxwell’s equations reduce to Kirchoff’s laws. So the reason that Kirchoff’s laws work for a R.L. Circuit is simply that the circuit obeys those assumptions to a very good approximation.
 
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