A stated line impedance fixes the current carried by a voltage step. Exact arithmetic here means exact results for the stated model inputs; measured inputs still carry uncertainty and significant-figure limits.

highlighted = computed this step

The line impedance sets the launched current

A 12 volt step into a 4 ohm line launches 3 amperes.

I+=12 V÷4 Ω=3 AI_{+}=12\ \text{V}\div 4\ \Omega=3\ \text{A}
Launched currentThe current label is computed from voltage and line impedance.forwardstep 12 Vline 4 ohmcurrent 3 Apower 36 W