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.