Sorry, I know this is a very basic question, but I've already searched a few universities' sites and through my books but none of them are giving me a direct answer.
If you specify the terminals that a circuit element is connected to( like V(bc)) but not the + and – signs, can the voltage of that element be interpreted anyway you want or do you assume that the positive end is the first terminal specified and the second terminal is the negative end. For example you are asked to find V(bc) is it assumed that the positive end is b and and the negative end is c or can you interpret it anyway you want?
Best Answer
That's the usual convention.
If you deviate from that convention, or you refer to some other voltage like V1 or Vspiffy, you should explicitly draw a diagram showing the location (where in the circuit) and polarity of that voltage.