Find the Current passing through the Resistor.

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a circuit analysis problem where the original poster seeks to determine the current passing through specific resistors, R1 and R5, based on their circuit diagram and equations. The subject area is electrical circuits, focusing on the application of Kirchhoff's laws.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to apply Kirchhoff's laws to analyze the circuit and has formulated equations for different loops. Some participants question the treatment of voltage polarities in the equations, particularly regarding the influence of opposing battery voltages.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging in clarifying the setup of the equations and the implications of voltage rises and drops as they traverse the circuit loops. Guidance has been provided regarding the correct interpretation of voltage contributions in the equations, but there is no explicit consensus on the final approach yet.

Contextual Notes

The original poster has indicated a typo in their initial post regarding which resistors they intended to analyze, which may affect the clarity of the discussion. Additionally, the circuit diagram referenced is not visible in the thread, which could limit the ability to fully assess the problem.

Lawlbear
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Hi, forum. This is my first time posting and I was curious if someone would mind looking over my work for a problem? I need to find the current passing through R1 and R5, the picture below shows the problem and my attempt at a solution.

In the picture there are three main equations I used, left means the left loop of the circuit, middle means the middle loop, and big right means the loop excluding the left loop. Also at the very bottom the follows sentence gets cut off on the scan, it should say: "I5=3.46A so current passing through R5=3.46"

Thanks in advance for any help and corrections!
EDIT: I had originally put "find the resistance through R1 and R2" This was a typo, I meant find the Resistance through R1 and R5.

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/8044/scan0003tu.jpg

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In your third loop, comprising V1, V2, R5, and R3, note that the two batteries have opposite polarities; as you traverse the loop, you should see a voltage rise from one and a voltage drop from the other.
 
Thank you for your reply. Does this mean I should have subtracted the second voltage(V2) in the equation of my big right loop?
 
It would appear that you're going around the loop clockwise (in the shown directions of I5 and I3, so that V2 would represent a voltage rise, while V1 would represent a voltage drop. That is,

V2 - V1 - I5*R5 - I3*R3 = 0
 

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