Divider relationship
For an unloaded ideal divider, the same current flows through R1 and R2. The output is the fraction of the source voltage developed across R2.
Vout = Vin · R2 / (R1 + R2)I = Vin / (R1 + R2)Virtual engineering lab
Voltage Divider Measurement
Use a minimal DC measurement exercise to validate the shared Virtual Lab architecture before full virtual instruments are added.
Electrical Engineering / InstrumentationintroductoryValidated educational model
0% complete0 / 0 requirements
Complete the procedure, collect the required measurements, pass the engineering validation, and answer every graded concept question correctly.
What you should establish
- Predict the output of a two-resistor voltage divider.
- Compare an analytic prediction with a simulated ideal measurement.
- Use the common experiment, measurement, theory, and validation panels.
Work through the experiment
Collect evidence from the model
- Measured output voltageIdeal voltage at the R1/R2 junction.Pending
- Divider currentCurrent through both resistors in the unloaded divider.Pending
- R2 dissipationIdeal electrical power dissipated by R2.Pending
Verify the result, not just the workflow
- Analytic voltage-divider checkCompares the simulated measurement with Vout = Vin·R2/(R1+R2).Pending
Only a passed engineering check satisfies guided completion. Warnings and failures remain visible even if the procedure checklist is complete.
Answer the graded multiple-choice questions
Choose one answer for each question. Each selection is graded immediately and saved locally. Guided Lab completion requires every concept question to be correct.
Concept score: 0 / 2 correct
Simulation area
Ideal modeIdeal DC measurement rig
Measurements
Instrument readings
- Measured output voltage
- — Ideal voltage at the R1/R2 junction.
- Divider current
- — Current through both resistors in the unloaded divider.
- R2 dissipation
- — Ideal electrical power dissipated by R2.
Result visualization
Voltage division
The foundation plot shows the measured node voltage as a fraction of the applied source voltage. The full oscilloscope waveform viewport is available in the Oscilloscope Fundamentals experiment.
Theory
Equations and model
Measurement model
This Phase 1.1 demonstration uses an ideal high-impedance measurement so the instrument does not load the circuit. Probe loading and meter input impedance are intentionally deferred to the measurement-error model.
Validation
Independent checks
Analytic voltage-divider checkNot run
Compares the simulated measurement with Vout = Vin·R2/(R1+R2).
- Expected
- —
- Simulated
- —
- Error
- —
- Tolerance
- 0.001%
Run the experiment to perform this check.
Engineering interpretation
Run the experiment to generate an engineering interpretation.
Assumptions and limitations
Assumptions
- The source is an ideal DC voltage source.
- Resistors are linear, exact, and temperature independent.
- The measurement device has infinite input impedance.
- Lead and contact resistance are neglected.
Limitations
- Instrument loading, noise, quantization, tolerance, and calibration error are not included in Phase 1.1.
- The demonstration is intended to validate the reusable lab architecture, not replace a complete circuit simulator.
Local experiment export
Phase 1.9Save your measurements and setup
Exports are generated in your browser. No account or server upload is required.
- Settings JSON
- Current parameter values for reproducibility and later project handoff.
- Measurements CSV
- Completed instrument readings with labels, units, and descriptions.
- Plot PNG
- The current canvas-based scope, transient, sweep, or statistics visualization when available.
- Summary
- Markdown report with objectives, setup, measurements, validation, interpretation, assumptions, and graded guided concept-check results.
Ready to export the current local experiment state.
What this experiment should establish
- Predict the output of a two-resistor voltage divider.
- Compare an analytic prediction with a simulated ideal measurement.
- Use the common experiment, measurement, theory, and validation panels.
Questions to answer from the experiment
- What resistor ratio would produce approximately half of the source voltage?
- Why could a real meter with finite input resistance read a slightly different output voltage?