Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index

Voltage divider

In electronics, a voltage divider or resistor divider is a design technique used to create a voltage (Vout) which is proportional to another voltage (Vin). Two resistors are connected as shown in Figure 1.

The output voltage, Vout is related to Vin as follows: Vout = Vin*(R2/(R1+R2)). For a simple example if R1=R2 then Vout = Vin/2. Any other ratio between 0 and 1 is also possible.


Figure 1:Resistor Divider