In the field of instrumentation engineering, understanding the behavior of electrical circuits is crucial. One fundamental concept is the voltage across a short circuit. To comprehend why the voltage is zero, let's consider the properties of a short circuit:
- A short circuit occurs when there is a direct connection between two points in a circuit, typically through a conductor with negligible resistance.
- In a theoretical sense, resistance in a short circuit is zero ohms.
- Using Ohm’s Law, which states \( V = I \times R \), where \( V \) is voltage, \( I \) is current, and \( R \) is resistance, we can analyze the voltage across the short circuit.
Calculation:
- Given \( R = 0 \) (since it's a short circuit), substituting in Ohm’s Law gives \( V = I \times 0 = 0 \).
Even if the current \( I \) is infinite due to the lack of resistance, any multiplication with zero results in zero voltage.
Hence, the voltage across a short circuit is always zero.
The correct answer is: Zero