KCL Node Visualization
Description
This MicroSim places several current-carrying branches meeting at a common node and animates the current flow. Click any node in the circuit to highlight it and see labeled current arrows. A running tally on the right confirms that the sum of entering currents equals the sum of leaving currents, verifying KCL at each selected node.
Key Concepts
- Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL): The algebraic sum of all currents at any node equals zero: \(\sum I_{in} = \sum I_{out}\).
- KCL is a consequence of conservation of charge — charge cannot accumulate at a node.
- Sign convention: currents entering a node are positive; currents leaving are negative (or vice versa — choose one consistently).
- KCL applies at every instant in time, including in AC circuits using phasor notation.
- Applying KCL at each independent node generates the equations needed for nodal analysis.