Kirchhoff's Voltage Law (KVL) states that the sum of all electrical potential differences (voltages) around any closed loop or mesh in a circuit is zero. This law is based on the principle of conservation of energy, which implies that the total amount of energy gained per unit charge must equal the total amount of energy lost per unit charge when moving around a closed loop.
Mathematically, KVL can be expressed as:
\[ \sum_{k=1}^{n} V_k = 0 \]
where \( V_k \) represents the voltage across each element in the loop.
In simpler terms, KVL says that the total voltage provided by sources (like batteries) in a closed loop is exactly equal to the total voltage drop across the components (like resistors) in that loop. This principle is fundamental for analyzing and solving electrical circuits.