CH3 Methods of Analysis

Chapter 3
Methods of Analysis
Course Instructor
Dr. Maher Azzouz
ELEC-201 Electric Circuits

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Use Kirchhoff’s current law and Ohm’s law to write nodal equations and then
solve for unknown node voltages.
Use Kirchhoff’s voltage law and Ohm’s law to write loop/mesh equations and
then solve for unknown loop/mesh currents.
Identify the most appropriate analysis technique (nodal or loop) to use to solve a
problem.
At the end of this chapter on nodal and mesh analysis techniques, you should be able to:
Learning Objectives

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Nodal Analysis
Nodal method is used to determine the voltage at each node in a circuit relative
to the reference node (or ground).
Voltage at the reference node is zero. If the reference node is not explicitly
indicated on the circuit, one can arbitrarily choose any node as ground.
Voltage at a non-reference node represents the voltage difference from that
node to the reference node.
Utilize KCL to write the equation at different non-reference nodes.
(N-1) equations are required to find (N-1) unknown, where N is the number of
nodes.

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Nodal Analysis

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