Worked formula example
Voltage Divider Examples
With equal 10 kOhm resistors from 12 V, Vout is 6 V before load effects. The example keeps the problem, given values, formula, substitution, and copyable result sentence together so the calculator page can be opened only when values or units change.
Worked examples
| Step | Value |
|---|---|
| Problem | Find Vout for two resistors in series. |
| Given values | Vin = 12 V, R1 = 10 kOhm, R2 = 10 kOhm |
| Formula | Vout = Vin x R2 / (R1 + R2) |
| Calculation | Vout = 12 x 10 / (10 + 10) = 6 V |
| Copyable result sentence | With equal 10 kOhm resistors from 12 V, Vout is 6 V before load effects. |
| Step | Value |
|---|---|
| Problem | Find Vout when the bottom resistor is smaller than the top resistor. |
| Given values | Vin = 5 V, R1 = 10 kOhm, R2 = 3.3 kOhm |
| Formula | Vout = Vin x R2 / (R1 + R2) |
| Calculation | Vout = 5 x 3.3 / (10 + 3.3) = 1.24 V |
| Copyable result sentence | A 10 kOhm and 3.3 kOhm divider from 5 V gives about 1.24 V. |
| Step | Value |
|---|---|
| Problem | Estimate divider current before connecting a load. |
| Given values | Vin = 12 V, R1 = 10 kOhm, R2 = 10 kOhm |
| Formula | Idivider = Vin / (R1 + R2) |
| Calculation | Idivider = 12 / 20,000 = 0.0006 A |
| Copyable result sentence | The unloaded divider current is 0.6 mA before any load is attached. |
Copyable result sentence
With equal 10 kOhm resistors from 12 V, Vout is 6 V before load effects.
Common mistakes
- Dropping units before the voltage divider examples substitution.
- Rounding the voltage divider examples calculation before the final step.
- Using a formula variant that does not match the known values for voltage divider examples.