Finding the equivalent resistance between two points in a star-delta (also known as wye-delta) network involves converting the network from one configuration to another. The star (Y) and delta (Δ) connections are two common ways to connect three resistors in a circuit, and sometimes it's necessary to convert between these configurations to simplify the analysis.
### Understanding Star and Delta Configurations
1. **Star (Y) Configuration:**
- In a star configuration, three resistors are connected to a central node, with each resistor connecting to one of the three outer points.
- The resistors are labeled \( R_A \), \( R_B \), and \( R_C \) for the resistors connecting to nodes \( A \), \( B \), and \( C \) respectively.
2. **Delta (Δ) Configuration:**
- In a delta configuration, three resistors form a closed loop, with each resistor connecting to two of the three nodes.
- The resistors are labeled \( R_{AB} \), \( R_{BC} \), and \( R_{CA} \) for the resistors between nodes \( A \) and \( B \), \( B \) and \( C \), and \( C \) and \( A \) respectively.
### Converting Star to Delta and Vice Versa
**1. Star to Delta Conversion:**
To convert a star network to an equivalent delta network, use the following formulas:
- Let \( R_A \), \( R_B \), and \( R_C \) be the resistors in the star configuration.
- The resistors in the delta configuration \( R_{AB} \), \( R_{BC} \), and \( R_{CA} \) can be calculated using the formulas:
\[
R_{AB} = \frac{R_A R_B + R_B R_C + R_C R_A}{R_C}
\]
\[
R_{BC} = \frac{R_A R_B + R_B R_C + R_C R_A}{R_A}
\]
\[
R_{CA} = \frac{R_A R_B + R_B R_C + R_C R_A}{R_B}
\]
**2. Delta to Star Conversion:**
To convert a delta network to an equivalent star network, use the following formulas:
- Let \( R_{AB} \), \( R_{BC} \), and \( R_{CA} \) be the resistors in the delta configuration.
- The resistors in the star configuration \( R_A \), \( R_B \), and \( R_C \) can be calculated using the formulas:
\[
R_A = \frac{R_{AB} R_{CA}}{R_{AB} + R_{BC} + R_{CA}}
\]
\[
R_B = \frac{R_{AB} R_{BC}}{R_{AB} + R_{BC} + R_{CA}}
\]
\[
R_C = \frac{R_{BC} R_{CA}}{R_{AB} + R_{BC} + R_{CA}}
\]
### Example Problem
Suppose you have a star network with resistors \( R_A = 4 \ \Omega \), \( R_B = 6 \ \Omega \), and \( R_C = 12 \ \Omega \), and you want to find the equivalent delta network.
1. Compute \( R_{AB} \), \( R_{BC} \), and \( R_{CA} \):
\[
R_{AB} = \frac{4 \times 6 + 6 \times 12 + 12 \times 4}{12} = \frac{24 + 72 + 48}{12} = \frac{144}{12} = 12 \ \Omega
\]
\[
R_{BC} = \frac{4 \times 6 + 6 \times 12 + 12 \times 4}{4} = \frac{144}{4} = 36 \ \Omega
\]
\[
R_{CA} = \frac{4 \times 6 + 6 \times 12 + 12 \times 4}{6} = \frac{144}{6} = 24 \ \Omega
\]
So the equivalent delta resistors are \( R_{AB} = 12 \ \Omega \), \( R_{BC} = 36 \ \Omega \), and \( R_{CA} = 24 \ \Omega \).
### Summary
To find the equivalent resistance in a star-delta network, you typically need to convert the network from one configuration to the other. Use the conversion formulas to switch between star and delta configurations, and then find the equivalent resistance based on the simplified network. This approach is useful in complex circuits where direct calculation of equivalent resistance is challenging.