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Kirchoff's second law

The algebraic sum of the EMFs is equal to the sum of potential differences around a closed loop.

This essentially means that:

  • the total EMF (voltage) supplied by the power source equals the total potential difference (voltage) across the components in the loop.

We can write this as:

Example

Section titled “Example”

In a simple circuit, a battery of EMF is connected in series with two resistors of resistance and . Calculate the potential difference across each resistor.

  • Total resistance =
  • Total EMF =
    • so the total potential difference across the resistors must also be .
  • Potential difference across resistor:
  • Potential difference across resistor: