Explain how Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law demonstrates the principle of energy conservation in an electric circuit. (3 marks)
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- Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL) states that the sum of all voltages around a closed loop in a circuit is zero.
- This law relates directly to the conservation of energy because it reflects the idea that energy supplied by sources (batteries) is completely used up by the components (resistors, lamps, etc.) in the circuit. As charge moves around a loop, it gains electrical energy from sources and loses that same amount of energy across circuit elements.
- In other words, the total energy gained = total energy lost, so there is no net gain or loss of energy in the loop – exactly what the conservation of energy principle states.
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- Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL) states that the sum of all voltages around a closed loop in a circuit is zero.
- This law relates directly to the conservation of energy because it reflects the idea that energy supplied by sources (batteries) is completely used up by the components (resistors, lamps, etc.) in the circuit. As charge moves around a loop, it gains electrical energy from sources and loses that same amount of energy across circuit elements.
- In other words, the total energy gained = total energy lost, so there is no net gain or loss of energy in the loop – exactly what the conservation of energy principle states.