To find the current in an LR circuit, which consists of an inductor (L) and a resistor (R) connected in series, you need to solve for the current over time. The method you use will depend on whether the circuit is in a transient state (e.g., when the circuit is first turned on or off) or in a steady-state (e.g., after a long time has passed).
### 1. **Transient Analysis (When Switching On or Off)**
#### **When the Circuit is Switched On:**
When a DC voltage source \( V \) is applied to an LR circuit that was initially at rest, the circuit will exhibit transient behavior until it reaches a steady state. The differential equation governing the circuit is derived from Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL):
\[ V(t) = L \frac{dI(t)}{dt} + I(t)R \]
Here, \( I(t) \) is the current at time \( t \), \( L \) is the inductance, \( R \) is the resistance, and \( V(t) \) is the applied voltage. For a step input where the voltage suddenly changes to \( V_0 \) at \( t = 0 \), the equation simplifies to:
\[ V_0 = L \frac{dI(t)}{dt} + I(t)R \]
To solve this differential equation, follow these steps:
1. **Find the homogeneous solution:**
Solve the homogeneous equation:
\[ 0 = L \frac{dI_h(t)}{dt} + I_h(t)R \]
The solution is:
\[ I_h(t) = A e^{-\frac{R}{L}t} \]
where \( A \) is a constant determined by initial conditions.
2. **Find the particular solution:**
For a step input \( V_0 \), the particular solution is a constant:
\[ I_p(t) = \frac{V_0}{R} \]
3. **Combine solutions and apply initial conditions:**
The total current \( I(t) \) is:
\[ I(t) = I_h(t) + I_p(t) = A e^{-\frac{R}{L}t} + \frac{V_0}{R} \]
Given that the initial current \( I(0) \) is zero (if the circuit was initially at rest), solve for \( A \):
\[ I(0) = A + \frac{V_0}{R} = 0 \]
\[ A = -\frac{V_0}{R} \]
Thus:
\[ I(t) = \frac{V_0}{R} \left(1 - e^{-\frac{R}{L}t}\right) \]
#### **When the Circuit is Switched Off:**
If the circuit is suddenly disconnected from the voltage source at \( t = 0 \), the initial current is \( I_0 \), and the voltage source is zero. The equation then becomes:
\[ 0 = L \frac{dI(t)}{dt} + I(t)R \]
Solving this yields:
\[ I(t) = I_0 e^{-\frac{R}{L}t} \]
### 2. **Steady-State Analysis (Long-Term Behavior)**
In the steady state (a long time after the switch is closed), the inductor behaves like a short circuit (since \( \frac{dI(t)}{dt} \to 0 \)), and the current \( I \) is:
\[ I_{\text{steady}} = \frac{V}{R} \]
where \( V \) is the DC voltage applied to the circuit.
### Summary
- **Transient Analysis:** Use the differential equation \( V(t) = L \frac{dI(t)}{dt} + I(t)R \) and solve for \( I(t) \) considering initial conditions.
- **Steady-State Analysis:** For long-term behavior, the inductor acts as a short circuit, and the current is \( I = \frac{V}{R} \).
The exact method will depend on whether you are dealing with switching on or off, and whether you need to solve the circuit behavior transiently or just find the final steady-state current.