Chapter 4: Techniques of Circuit Analysis

Thevenin’s & Norton’s Equivalent cct :

• Thevenin’s and Norton’s Equivalent circuits are
simplification techniques that can be applied on a
resistive circuits by focusing on the behavior at
terminals (a) and (b).

a
a
Resistors
and
sources
b
b
Resistive circuit
Thevenin’s Equivalent circuit
Thevenin’s & Norton’s Equivalent cct :
• Norton’s Equivalent circuit is found by make a source
transformation of Thevenin’s Equivalent circuit and vice
versa.

a a

b b

Thevenin’s Equivalent circuit Norton’s Equivalent circuit

𝑉𝑡ℎ
𝐼𝑁 = 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑅𝑁 = 𝑅𝑡ℎ
𝑅𝑡ℎ
Thevenin’s & Norton’s Equivalent cct :
• To determine (𝑉𝑡ℎ ) and (𝑅𝑡ℎ ) ,we should consider two
circuit conditions:
 Open circuit condition.
 Short circuit condition.
• For Open circuit condition, we assume an open circuit
(or an infinity resistance) between terminals a and b.
This condition is used to find (𝑉𝑡ℎ ).

a
a
Resistors + +
and Voc Voc =Vth
sources -
b -
b
Resistive circuit
Thevenin’s Equivalent circuit
Thevenin’s & Norton’s Equivalent cct :
• For Short circuit condition, we assume a short circuit (or
an very small resistance 𝑅𝑙 → 0 ) between terminals a
and b. This condition is used to find (𝑅𝑡ℎ ).

a
a
Resistors
and 𝑖𝑠𝑐 𝑖𝑠𝑐 = 𝐼𝑁
sources
b
b
Resistive circuit
Thevenin’s Equivalent circuit

𝑉𝑡ℎ
𝑅𝑡ℎ =
𝑖𝑠𝑐
Example 1: For the circuit shown below, Find
Thevenin’s equivalent circuit.
Solution:
• Open circuit condition to find 𝑉𝑡ℎ :
We have 3 options (Nodal analysis, Mesh analysis and Source
transformation with KVL)

Current in this resistance=0

By Nodal Analysis:

𝑉1 − 25 𝑉1
+ − 3 + 0 = 0 → 𝑉1 = 32 volt = 𝑉𝑜𝑐 = 𝑉𝑡ℎ
5 20
By Source transformation with KVL :

𝑘𝑣𝑙(𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑝): −25 + 25𝐼𝑥 + 60 = 0 → 𝐼𝑥 = −1.4A

𝑘𝑣𝑙(𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑕𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑝): −60 + 1.4 × 20 + 𝑉𝑜𝑐 =0 → 𝑉𝑜𝑐 = 32 volt = 𝑉𝑡ℎ

• Shorth circuit condition to find 𝑅𝑡ℎ :

𝑉1 − 25 𝑉1 𝑉1
+ − 3 + = 0 → 𝑉1 = 16 volt
5 20 4
𝑉1 16 𝑉 32
𝑖𝑠𝑐 = = = 4𝐴 → 𝑅𝑡ℎ = 𝑖𝑜𝑐 = = 8Ω
4 4 𝑠𝑐 4
• Thus, the Thevenin’s Equivalent circuit is drawn as next
• Example 2: For the circuit shown below, Find
Norton’s equivalent circuit.
Solution:
• Open circuit condition to find 𝑉𝑡ℎ :
We have 3 options (Nodal analysis, Mesh analysis and Source
transformation with Voltage divider)

12
𝑉𝑜𝑐 = 𝑉𝑡ℎ = × 120 = 45 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡
8 + 2 + 10 + 12
• Shorth circuit condition to find 𝑅𝑡ℎ :

120 120 𝑉𝑜𝑐 45

𝑖𝑠𝑐 = 𝐼𝑁 = = = 6𝐴 → 𝑅𝑡ℎ = = = 7.5Ω
8+2+10 20 𝑖𝑠𝑐 6
• Thus, the Thevenin’s Equivalent circuit is drawn as next.

• Now , the Norton’s Equivalent circuit is found by Source

transformation.
Example 3: For the circuit shown below, Find Thevenin’s
equivalent circuit.
Solution:
• Open circuit condition to find 𝑉𝑡ℎ :
Using Nodal analysis

𝑉1 = 24 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡

𝑉2
𝑖𝑥 =
8

𝑉2 − 24 𝑉2 𝑉2
+ 4 + + 3( ) = 0 → 𝑉2 = 8 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡 = 𝑉𝑜𝑐 = 𝑉𝑡ℎ
2 8 8
• Shorth circuit condition to find 𝑅𝑡ℎ :

𝑖𝑥 = 0

−24 + 2𝐼1 = 0 → 𝐼1 = 12𝐴 → 𝑖𝑠𝑐 = 𝐼2 = 𝐼1 − 4𝐴 = 8𝐴

𝑉𝑜𝑐 8 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡
→ 𝑅𝑡ℎ = = = 1Ω
𝑖𝑠𝑐 8𝐴
• Thus, the Thevenin’s Equivalent circuit is drawn as next
Exercise: For the circuit shown below, Find
Thevenin’s and Norton’s equivalent circuits.

→ 𝑉𝑡ℎ = 64.8 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑡

→ 𝐼𝑁 = 10.8 𝐴

→ 𝑅𝑡ℎ = 𝑅𝑁 = 6Ω
• In order to avoid any mistake in the calculation of 𝑅𝑡ℎ , we can
follow the one of the following methods:

1. Series combination method → with the circuits that contain

resistances and independent sources.
By killing all independent sources and then finding
𝑅𝑒𝑞 between a and b.
𝑉𝑜𝑐
2. Short cct condition (𝑅𝑡ℎ = 𝑖𝑠𝑐
)→ with the circuits
that contain one independent sources at least.

3. Using 𝑉𝑇 , 𝐼𝑇 → with the circuits.

By killing all independent sources and then writing an
𝑉𝑇
equation using 𝑉𝑇 , 𝐼𝑇 where 𝑅𝑡ℎ = 𝐼𝑇
Example 1 (repeated):

Killing the sources

𝑅𝑡ℎ = 𝑅𝑒𝑞 =20Ω//5Ω+4Ω=8Ω

Example 2 (repeated):

Killing the sources

𝑅𝑡ℎ = 𝑅𝑒𝑞 = (8Ω + 2Ω + 10Ω)//12Ω=7.5Ω

Example 1 repeated (using third method)

KVL for right loop

𝑉1 𝑉1
+ − 𝐼𝑇 = 0 𝐵𝑢𝑡 −𝑉𝑇 +4𝐼𝑇 + 𝑉1 = 0 → 𝑉1 = 𝑉𝑇 − 4𝐼𝑇
5 20
(𝑉𝑇 −4𝐼𝑇 ) (𝑉𝑇 −4𝐼𝑇 )
+ − 𝐼𝑇 = 0 → 4(𝑉𝑇 − 4𝐼𝑇 ) + (𝑉𝑇 −4𝐼𝑇 ) − 20𝐼𝑇 = 0
5 20
4𝑉𝑇 − 16𝐼𝑇 + 𝑉𝑇 − 4𝐼𝑇 − 20𝐼𝑇 = 0 → 5 𝑉𝑇 − 40𝐼𝑇 = 0
𝑉𝑇 40
5 𝑉𝑇 = 40𝐼𝑇 → 𝐼𝑇
= 5
= 8 Ω → 𝑅𝑡ℎ = 8 Ω
Example 2 repeated (using third method):

Using Nodal

𝑉1 𝑉1 𝑉𝑇 𝑉𝑇
20
+ 12 − 𝐼𝑇 = 0 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑉1=𝑉𝑇 → 20
+ 12 − 𝐼𝑇 = 0

20 𝑉𝑇
𝑉𝑇 + 12
− 20𝐼𝑇 = 0 → 12𝑉𝑇 + 20𝑉𝑇 − 12 × 20𝐼𝑇 = 0
𝑉𝑇 240
32𝑉𝑇 = 240𝐼𝑇 → = = 7.5 Ω → 𝑅𝑡ℎ = 7.5 Ω
𝐼𝑇 32
Rule:
For the circuits that include only resistances and dependent
𝑉𝑇
sources, 𝑉𝑡ℎ =0 and 𝑅𝑡ℎ is found by the third method (𝑅𝑡ℎ = ).
𝐼𝑇

Example:

𝑉
−0.5𝑉Φ + 11 − 𝐼𝑇 = 0 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑉1 = 𝑉𝑇 = 𝑉Φ → 0.5𝑉Φ − 𝐼𝑇 = 0
𝑉𝑇 2
0.5𝑉Φ = 𝐼𝑇 → 𝐼𝑇
= 1=2Ω
• Thus, Thevenin's Equivalent cct can be drawn
as next:
 Chapter 4: Techniques of Circuit Analysis
Maximum Power Transfer :

a
Resistors a
and
sources
b b

Resistive circuit
Thevenin’s Equivalent circuit

• What is the value of 𝑅𝑙 at which the power transferred

to or absorbed by 𝑅𝑙 is the maximum?
• What is the value of the maximum power?
 Chapter 4: Techniques of Circuit Analysis
Maximum Power Transfer :
𝑉𝑡ℎ
𝐼𝐿 =
𝑅𝑡ℎ + 𝑅𝐿 a
2
𝑉𝑡ℎ
𝑃𝑅𝐿 = 𝐼𝐿 2 × 𝑅𝐿 = × 𝑅𝐿 b
𝑅𝑡ℎ + 𝑅𝐿

2 𝑅𝐿
= 𝑉𝑡ℎ × 2 Thevenin’s Equivalent circuit
𝑅𝑡ℎ + 𝑅𝐿

𝑑𝑃𝑅𝐿
→ For the maximum power condition =0
𝑑𝑅𝐿

𝑑𝑃𝑅𝐿 𝑅𝑡ℎ + 𝑅𝐿 2 × 1 − 𝑅𝐿 × 2(𝑅𝑡ℎ + 𝑅𝐿 )

= 𝑉𝑡ℎ 2 × =0
𝑑𝑅𝐿 𝑅𝑡ℎ + 𝑅𝐿 4
𝑑𝑃𝑅𝐿 (𝑅𝑡ℎ +𝑅𝐿 ) (𝑅𝑡ℎ +𝑅𝐿 −2𝑅𝐿 )
= 𝑉𝑡ℎ 2 × = 0 → 𝑉𝑡ℎ 2 × 𝑅𝑡ℎ − 𝑅𝐿 = 0 → 𝑅𝑡ℎ = 𝑅𝐿
𝑑𝑅𝐿 𝑅𝑡ℎ +𝑅𝐿 4
Now:
𝑅𝐿
𝑃𝑅𝐿 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝑉𝑡ℎ 2 × 2
𝑅𝑡ℎ + 𝑅𝐿

𝑚𝑎𝑥 2 𝑅𝑡ℎ
𝑃𝑅𝐿 = 𝑉𝑡ℎ × 2
𝑅𝑡ℎ + 𝑅𝑡ℎ

𝑅𝑡ℎ
𝑃𝑅𝐿 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝑉𝑡ℎ 2 × 2
2𝑅𝑡ℎ

𝑉𝑡ℎ 2
𝑃𝑅𝐿 𝑚𝑎𝑥 =
4𝑅𝑡ℎ
• For Example 1:
𝑉𝑡ℎ 2 (32)2
𝑃𝑅𝐿 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = = = 32 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑡
4𝑅𝑡ℎ 4 × 8

• For Example 2:
𝑉𝑡ℎ 2 (45)2
𝑃𝑅𝐿 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = = = 67.5 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑡
4𝑅𝑡ℎ 4 × 7.5

• For Example 3:

𝑉𝑡ℎ 2 (8)2
𝑃𝑅𝐿 𝑚𝑎𝑥 = = = 16 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑡
4𝑅𝑡ℎ 4 × 1