Superposition theorem

Cuthbert Nyack

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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