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Node (circuits)

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Each color in the circuit represents one node.

In electrical engineering, a node is any region on a circuit between two circuit elements. In circuit diagrams, connections are ideal wires with zero resistance, so a node consists of the entire section of wire between elements, not just a single point.[1]

Details

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According to Ohm's law, V = IR, the voltage V across any two points of a node with negligible resistance R is

showing that the electric potential at every point of a node is the same.

There are some notable exceptions where the voltage difference is large enough to become significant:

Dots used to mark nodes on a circuit diagram are sometimes referred to as meatballs.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Smith, Ralph J. (1966), Circuits, Devices and Systems, Chapter 2, John Wiley & Sons, Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 66-17612
  2. ^ Mansfield, Michael; O'Sullivan, Colm (2010), Understanding Physics (2nd edition), Chapter 14, page 359, John Wiley & Sons