16.5 Potential Divider Circuit
A potential or voltage divider is a circuit that divides a voltage into smaller parts using resistors. It consists of two or more resistors connected in series across a voltage source.
Consider two resistors R₁ and R₂ connected in series. The voltage across each resistor is given by:
R₁ / R₂ = V₁ / V₂
V_total = V₁ + V₂
V₁ = V_total × R₁ / (R₁ + R₂)
V₂ = V_total × R₂ / (R₁ + R₂)