Kirchhoff's Voltage Law states which of the following?

Kirchhoff's Voltage Law states which of the following?

• A. The current around any closed loop is zero
• B. The sum of currents around a closed loop is zero
• C. Power is conserved around a loop
• D. The sum of voltages around a closed loop is zero

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that around any closed circuit loop, the total voltage change as you traverse the loop adds up to zero because energy must balance as you return to the starting point. As you move around the loop, voltages encountered as rises and drops must cancel out, following a consistent sign convention. This is why the answer states that the sum of voltages around a closed loop is zero. It reflects conservation of energy for a charge making a complete circuit: any voltage supplied by sources must be exactly balanced by voltage drops across components like resistors, so you end up back at the same potential after completing the loop. Think of it this way: if you traverse a loop containing a battery that raises your potential by a certain amount and a resistor that drops the same amount as current flows, those changes add up to zero. That balance is what Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law formalizes and why it’s essential for solving circuit values. The other ideas don’t fit as precisely. Currents around a loop aren’t required to sum to zero—the current law concerns currents at junctions, not along a loop. Saying power is conserved around a loop is not the standard phrasing of the law and can be misleading, since power involves both voltage and current and the law is specifically about the algebraic sum of voltages.

The main idea is that around any closed circuit loop, the total voltage change as you traverse the loop adds up to zero because energy must balance as you return to the starting point. As you move around the loop, voltages encountered as rises and drops must cancel out, following a consistent sign convention.

This is why the answer states that the sum of voltages around a closed loop is zero. It reflects conservation of energy for a charge making a complete circuit: any voltage supplied by sources must be exactly balanced by voltage drops across components like resistors, so you end up back at the same potential after completing the loop.

Think of it this way: if you traverse a loop containing a battery that raises your potential by a certain amount and a resistor that drops the same amount as current flows, those changes add up to zero. That balance is what Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law formalizes and why it’s essential for solving circuit values.

The other ideas don’t fit as precisely. Currents around a loop aren’t required to sum to zero—the current law concerns currents at junctions, not along a loop. Saying power is conserved around a loop is not the standard phrasing of the law and can be misleading, since power involves both voltage and current and the law is specifically about the algebraic sum of voltages.