4.5 MESH CURRENT ANALYSIS WITH
INDEPENDENT VOLTAGE SOURCES
In this and succeeding sections, we consider the analysis of circuits using Kirchhoff's voltage law
(KVL) around a closed path. A closed path or a loop is drawn by starting at a node and tracing a path
such that we return to the original node without passing an intermediate node more than once.
A mesh is a special case of a loop.
A mesh is a loop that does not contain any other loops within it.
Mesh current analysis is applicable only to planar networks. A planar circuit is one that can be
drawn on a plane, without crossovers. An example of a nonplanar circuit is shown in Figure 4.5-1, in
which the crossover is identified and cannot be removed by redrawing the circuit. For planar networks,
the meshes in the network look like windows. There are four meshes in the circuit shown in Figure 4.5-2.