PHYS245 Electricity and Electronics
Syllabus - Classes - Assignments - Laboratory - Resources
Class 7: Thévenin Equivalent Circuit

Source Substitution - Thévenin's Theorem

Thevenin generator Any two-terminal linear circuit can be replaced with a voltage source in series with a resistance which will produce the same effects at the terminals.

VTh is the open-circuit voltage Voc between the two terminals of the circuit that the Thevenin generator is replacing.

RTh is the ratio of Voc to the short-circuit current Isc.
In linear circuits, this is equivalent to "killing" the sources and evaluating the resistance between the terminals. Voltage sources are killed by shorting them; current sources are killed by opening them.

Detailed Example of Thévenin Approach
      Concept Check: Thévenin's Theorem

Laboratory exercise: Lights Out!

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Last updated February 23, 2005.
Copyright George Watson, Univ. of Delaware, 2005.