๐Ÿ’กap physics c: e&m review

Kirchhoff's voltage law (KVL)

Written by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโ€ขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025

Definition

Kirchhoff's voltage law states that the sum of all voltages around any closed loop in an electrical circuit is zero. This means that the algebraic sum of potential differences across all elements (such as resistors and batteries) in a closed loop is equal to zero.

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