DC Circuits - Part C
Here are some examples of complicated circuits which cannot be reduced to a series circuit or a parallel circuit. One cannot find equivalent resistances using the rules from resistors in series or in parallel. Instead, Kirchhoff's Current and Voltage Laws are used to solve these circuits.
Kirchhoff's Laws are not the only method of solving such circuits. Different methods have arisen to solve complicated circuits, such as the Superposition Theorem. Some of these methods are easier to use than others, and their simplicity is dependent on the specific circuit to be solved.
The superposition theorem is a method of solving circuits, often used in circuits with more than one emf source. It uses Kirchhoff's Voltage Law.