Voltage
Divider Analogy
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Understanding Input Sensing circuits The sensing circuits we are using are known as "voltage dividers". They are made up from 3 components: -a
battery The sensing circuit produces a changing voltage at its output. You can think of the battery as a packet of sweets that is being divided out between two people. The two people represent a variable resistor (at the top) and a sensor (at the bottom) - see below.
In Example 1: Q1, If each sweet is equal to 1 volt, how many volts does our sweet packet battery have? Q2, How many sweets does each person have ? - Please look carefully.
Conclusions -The battery voltage is divided between the sensor and the variable resistor. -If the sensor has the greater resistance then it will have a higher voltage across it. -If the sensor has the lower resistance then it will have a lower voltage across it. -If either resistance changes, it can effect the way the voltage is divided up or shared in the circuit. |