Red Seal Electrician Practice
DC circuitsQuestion 697 of 1506

In a KCL equation, a negative sign is put on a current. What does the sign mean?

  1. The current is a fault current
  2. It marks the opposite direction to the positive currents
  3. The current is AC
  4. The wire carrying it must be a larger gauge than the others
Show answer

Correct answer: It marks the opposite direction to the positive currents

The signs only separate the two directions. Any consistent choice works.

Source: Lessons in Electric Circuits I: DC (Kuphaldt), 6.4: Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL)

Practice dc circuits

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026