Comparing & Computing with whole numbers & Decimals

Question

Two incoming currents at a node in an electrical circuit are .59 amps and 0.47 amps. One of the outgoing currents is 0.7 amps. Find the number of amps in the second outgoing current.

Answer 1

Judging by the way you asked this question, it's not a circuits course.  But a little bit of background for you is that this is based on something called Kirchhoff's Current Law (KCL) which states that the total current flowing into a node must equal the total current flowing out.

 

Now, the incoming currents are 0.59 amps and 0.47 amps.  Thus, the total incoming current is 1.06 amps.  We know that 1.06 amps must be equal to the outgoing current, as well.  So, 0.7 amps + X amps = 1.06 amps.  X = 1.06 amps - 0.7 amps, so that second outgoing current is equal to 0.36 amps.

 

If the question is more about the actual addition and subtraction of decimal numbers, then all that needs to be done is the decimal points must line up in the numbers when you do the addition/subtraction the normal way.

 

   0.59

+ 0.47

--------

   1.06