Does nodal analysis work with alternating currents if every step is treated like DC?

Question

I have a question that is difficult for me to describe.

I want to know if I will get accurate readings of an AC circuit by nodal analysis if I treat each significant voltage change as a DC circuit.

For example: if I have a 10 volt AC power supply at 60 hz, can I determine the currents (through a complex circuit) if I calculate each separate voltage up to my target point as a DC voltage?

Will I get approximately accurate results?

Answer 1

Only if your circuit is purely resistive. If you have any inductance or capacitance then your circuit will be frequency dependent and you will need to take account of the complex impedance.

Answer 2

Phasor analysis is also possible if your circuit contains reactive elements and your source is a single AC frequency. You can calculate the impedance of each of the elements at the source frequency and solve the network accordingly.