On the Loop- and Node-Analysis Approaches to the Simulation of Electrical Networks

The number of integrators in an analog-computer setup should be equal to the order of the differential equation describing the system. This paper presents a new procedure for tracing the loop currents which results in one-to-one correspondence between the number of integrators in the stimulation setup and the count of independent energy-storing elements in the network, i.e., the degree of the system's characteristic equation. The generality of the procedure proves that it is always possible to trace the loop currents in such a way that excess integrators are avoided. The loop-analysis and the branch-variables-analysis approaches are discussed and examples given.