NETWORK THEOREMS

INTRODUCTION
PURPOSE OF THEOREMS
COMPARISON OF THEOREMS WITH NODAL & MESH ANALYSIS
LIST OF THEOREMS
SUPERPOSITION THEOREM
THEVENIN’S THEOREM
NORTON’S THEOREM
MAXIMUM POWER TRANSFER THEOREM
TELLEGEN’S THEOREM
RECIPROCITY THEOREM
COMPENSATION THEOREM
SUBSTITUTION THEOREM
MILLER’S THEOREM
MILLMAN’S THEOREM
SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

The topic of network theorems is an essential part of circuit analysis. There are
many theorems, and hence they have been divided into two groups, essential
theorems and other theorems.

PURPOSE OF THEOREMS

Network theorems are useful in simplifying analysis of some circuits. But the more
useful aspect of network theorems is the insight it provides into the properties and
behaviour of circuits.

COMPARISON OF THEOREMS WITH NODAL & MESH ANALYSIS

Mesh analysis and nodal analysis are general techniques of analysis. They can be
called as the universal techniques within the context of circuit analysis. On the
other hand, the network theorems are not as versatile, but the merit of theorems is
in the insight they offer into the behaviour and properties of circuits.

LIST OF THEOREMS

Theorems have been into two groups, essential theorems and other theorems.
Superposition theorem, Thevenin’s theorem, Norton’s Theorem, maximum power
transfer theorem and Tellegen’s theorem are considered to be essential theorems,
and there are five more theorems in the other group. It is to be noted that grouping
of theorems is somewhat arbitrary.

SUPERPOSITION THEOREM

Superposition theorem is the foremost among the theorems, since the entire
analysis of linear circuits is founded on principle of superposition. It is not
normally easy or handy to use superposition theorem to analyze circuits. But it
defines what constitutes a linear circuit. The page on superposition theorem is
detailed and explains this theorem and its application in depth.

THEVENIN’S THEOREM

This theorem is the most popular among theorems. Its proof is based on
superposition theorem. It is widely used, especially to analyze electronic circuits.
The insight this theorem offers is important. This theorem states that a linear
circuit containing independent sources, dependent sources and passive elements
can be replaced by a model containing a voltage source and an equivalent
resistance. The page on Thevenin’s theorem is detailed, containing quite a few
worked examples.

NORTON’S THEOREM

This theorem is the dual of Thevenin’s theorem. This theorem states that a linear
circuit containing independent sources, dependent sources and passive elements
can be replaced by a model containing a current source and an equivalent
resistance.

MAXIMUM POWER TRANSFER THEOREM

This theorem enables us to find the condition for maximum power transfer to the
load. The application of this theorem to dc circuits is considered here. We shall
study later how this theorem can be applied to ac circuits. This theorem has
limited scope, as explained in the page on this theorem.

TELLEGEN’S THEOREM

The last theorem in the group of essential theorems is Tellegen’s theorem. This
theorem results from the Kirchoffs Laws. We had a brief look at this theorem in
the earlier lecture on Kirchoffs laws. We will re-visit this topic again. This
theorem is useful in verifying the solution of a problem. Verification of solution
is important, and most of the solutions will contain a section called the
verification.

RECIPROCITY THEOREM

The first theorem from the other group to be considered is the Reciprocity
Theorem. This theorem reveals one of the important properties of passive
network. When the topic of two-port networks is described, we will see how this
theorem applies to different descriptions of two port networks.

COMPENSATION THEOREM

The second theorem to be considered is the Compensation Theorem. This theorem

is useful to study the behavior of circuits when there is an incremental change in
the value of a component.

SUBSTITUTION THEOREM

The third theorem to be considered is the Substitution Theorem. This theorem

states that it is valid to replace one component by another type of component. It
is useful in some problems. It will be stated when we make use of this theorem.

MILLER’S THEOREM

The fourth theorem to be considered is Miller’s Theorem. This theorem is useful

for applying to electronic circuits that have a gain.

MILLMAN’S THEOREM

The fifth theorem to be considered is Millman’s Theorem. This theorem is not

well known and is not mentioned in many text books. This theorem is useful for
a particular type of circuits. It is worth learning this theorem. We use nodal
analysis for application of this theorem.

SUMMARY

The list of theorems described has been stated in this page. Detailed description
of each of these theorems is provided in the relevant page.