Lecture 9: Circuit Abstractions

In this session, we use what we've learned in the previous two sessions to allow even further circuit abstraction. We'll learn about Thevenin equivalence (as well as Norton equivalence) and superposition. Thevenin equivalence supplies a discipline for abstracting complex systems down into simple, equivalent representations, typically in order to substitute the simple representation back into a larger circuit. Superposition allows us to solve circuits more quickly (and for some, more intuitively). The overview handout provides a more detailed introduction, including the big ideas of the session, key vocabulary, what you should understand (theory) and be able to do (practice) after completing this session, and additional resources.