This states that the response in any element of a circuit is the
sum of the responses of the individual contributions from each
source. The response from each source can be obtained by setting
the other sources to zero.
The applet above shows a circuit(red) with 2 voltage sources. Black circuit
has only one source V1 and blue circuit only one source V2.
If V1 and V2 is varied by the scrollbars, the currents through any
resistor can be seen to be the sum of the currents produced by each
source. The voltages also add up.
To simplify the calculation of currents in circuits with several
sources, one can find the contribution to the current from each
source by setting all other sources equal to zero. The resulting contributions
can then be summed.
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COPYRIGHT © 1996 Cuthbert A. Nyack.