Question

What will the algebraic sum of a closed circuit be ?

Answer 1

A stream of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, passing through an electrical conductor or medium is referred to as an electric current. Electric current is defined as the net rate of current passing through a surface or into a control volume.

Complete answer:
In a closed circuit, the algebraic number of the currents at a junction is zero. Let us look into a familiar example to understand the topic better. Water or any liquid does not flow in a horizontal tube. When one end of the tube is attached to a water reservoir, creating a pressure differential between the two ends of the horizontal tube, water can leak out of the other end at a constant rate.

For a given tube, the rate at which water flows out is determined by the pressure differential.If the flow rate (current) needs to be maintained steady, the water flowing out, for example, must be returned to the container in order to retain the pressure head. This necessitates the involvement of a third party.

An electric current travels through a conductor only because there is an electric potential variation between the two ends. In order to keep a constant current flow, one requires an agency that works on the charges which is called the electromotive force.

Thus, the algebraic number of the currents at a junction is zero in a closed circuit.

Note: It must be noted that current flows through a circuit only when it is a closed circuit and not an open circuit. By convention, the direction of an electric current is the same as the direction of a positive charge. As a result, the current in the external circuit is directed away from the positive terminal of the battery and toward the negative terminal.