What does Kirchhoff's law for voltage claim about voltage drops in a series circuit?

Kirchhoff's law for voltage, also known as Kirchhoff's voltage law (KVL), states that the sum of the electrical potential differences (voltages) around any closed circuit is equal to zero. In a series circuit, the law implies that the total voltage supplied by the source must equal the sum of the voltage drops across all components in the circuit. Therefore, the cumulative effect of these voltage drops equals the total voltage from the source.

This means that in a series circuit, the voltage drops do not happen in isolation; they collectively add up to match the source voltage. If you were to measure every voltage drop across components such as resistors, for example, and then add those values together, they would equal the voltage of the battery or power supply. It is a fundamental principle in circuit analysis that allows engineers and technicians to design and troubleshoot circuits effectively.