Voltage Divider

What is Voltage Divider?

A simple circuit of two or more resistors in series that produces an output voltage equal to a fraction of the input, set purely by the ratio of resistances. The neat formula only holds exactly when nothing downstream draws current — connect a real load and it starts pulling the output away from the ideal value.

The five clues

Engineerdle #12 described Voltage Divider with five clues, revealed one at a time from hardest to most direct. Each clue points at a different property of the concept.

1. 01One of the first circuits every electronics student builds.
2. 02Two resistors in series, and a voltage tapped off the middle.
3. 03The split is set purely by the ratio of the two resistances.
4. 04Load it with something that draws current and the simple formula stops being exact.
5. 05A circuit of series resistors that produces an output voltage as a fraction of the input, set by resistance ratio.

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