Voltage and Current

Division Rules

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Objectives

• To apply the voltage and current

division rules.

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 Voltage Division

For example, we know

i = VTOTAL / (R1 + R2 + R3)
so the voltage over the first resistor
is
V1=i R1 = R1 VTOTAL / (R1 + R2 + R3)

R1
v1 = V
R1 + R2 + R3

To find the voltage over an individual resistance in series, take the total series
voltage and multiply by the individual resistance over the total resistance.

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Electronics and Electrical Engineering Department 3
Example

determine the voltage across each resistor

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 Example
determine the voltage across
each resistor

vs
is =
R1 + R2
iS
R1
v1 = vs
R1 + R2
iS
R2
v2 = vs
R1 + R2
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Summary
•The source voltage v is divided among the resistors in direct proportion
to their resistances
•the larger the resistance, the larger the voltage drop.

•This is called the principle of voltage division,

•In general
If a voltage divider has N resistors (R1,R2, . . . , RN) in series with the
source voltage v, the nth resistor (Rn) will have a voltage drop of

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Current Division

If we know the current flowing into two parallel resistors, we can find out how
the current will divide up in one step.

v
i1 =
R1
1 R1 R 2 R2
i1 = i i1 = i
R1 R1 + R2 R1 + R2
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Note that this differs slightly from the voltage division formula for series resistors

R2 = 0 implies that i1 = 0, i2 = i. R2 = , that is, R2 is an open

R2 , then
Req = R1
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Example
Find i1 and i2 in terms of is

is = i1 + i2 is R1 R2
i1 i2
v1 = v2
i1 R1 = i2 R2
R1 R1 R2 + R1
i2 = i1 is = i1 + i1 = i1
R2 R2 R2
R2
i1 = is
R1 + R2
R1
i2 = is
R1 + R2
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Electronics and Electrical Engineering Department 9
 Example
Use Voltage and current division rules to find Vo and io 6⋅3
=2
6+3

Step 1

Step 1

Step 2

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Electronics and Electrical Engineering Department 10