Kirchhoff's current law

proper noun

A law showing that electric charge is conserved around an electrical circuit: At any point in an electrical circuit where charge density is not changing in time, the sum of currents flowing towards that point is equal to the sum of currents flowing away from that point.

Meanings

proper noun
  1. natural sciencesA law showing that electric charge is conserved around an electrical circuit: At any point in an electrical circuit where charge density is not changing in time, the sum of currents flowing towards that point is equal to the sum of currents flowing away from that point.

Origin

Named after German physicist and mathematician Gustav Kirchhoff (1824–1887).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Kirchhoff's current law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kirchhoff's%20current%20law

MLA

“Kirchhoff's current law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kirchhoff's%20current%20law. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kirchhoff's current law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kirchhoff's%20current%20law.

Source: Kirchhoff's current law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.