An unsolved electric circuit: a common misconception

Despite a number of theories in circuit analysis, little is known about the behaviour of ideal equal voltage sources in parallel, connected across a resistive load. We neither have any theory that can predict the voltage source that provides the load current, nor is there any method to test it exper...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physics education 2015-09, Vol.50 (5), p.568-572, Article 568
Main Authors: Sree Harsha, N R, Sreedevi, A, Prakash, Anupama
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Circuits
Education
Electric circuits
Electric potential
Electrical grounding
Generalization
Mathematical Models
Misconceptions
Physics
Research Methodology
Science Experiments
Science Instruction
Students
Symmetry
Voltage
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Summary:Despite a number of theories in circuit analysis, little is known about the behaviour of ideal equal voltage sources in parallel, connected across a resistive load. We neither have any theory that can predict the voltage source that provides the load current, nor is there any method to test it experimentally. In a series of experiments performed on 100 students, it was found that this circuit is often misunderstood on symmetry grounds. This paper addresses this issue by showing how different circuit analysis methods fail to provide an answer.
ISSN:0031-9120
1361-6552
DOI:10.1088/0031-9120/50/5/568