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Mesh vs Supermesh Comparison

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Description

This MicroSim lets you switch between Standard Mesh and Supermesh mode. In standard mode the right branch is a plain wire and two independent KVL equations are written for the two loops. In supermesh mode a current source Is is shared between the two meshes — the sim shows how the two loops merge into a single outer KVL equation plus the constraint I₂ – I₁ = Is. Adjust resistors and source values with sliders or numeric inputs and press Solve to see the mesh currents update.

Key Concepts

  • Mesh analysis assigns a clockwise mesh current to each independent loop and writes KVL around that loop.
  • A supermesh forms when a current source is shared between two adjacent mesh loops.
  • The current source is excluded from the combined KVL; a constraint equation \(I_2 - I_1 = I_s\) replaces the missing loop equation.
  • The total number of independent equations equals the number of mesh loops minus the number of current sources inside supermeshes.
  • Mesh analysis is the loop-space dual of nodal analysis: meshes ↔ nodes, KVL ↔ KCL, mesh currents ↔ node voltages.

Chapter 3 — Kirchhoff's Laws and Topology