• Pixel-art sticker of Splitta, personifying Voltage Divider, with the caption “I Share The Voltage.”

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Splitta

Voltage Divider Physics

\[V_{\text{out}} = V\,\frac{R_2}{R_1 + R_2}\]
$4.99 USD
$4.99 USD
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Meet Splitta, two resistors in a line who share a battery's voltage and hand out the part you need. In series the same current flows through both, so voltage divides in proportion to resistance: 9 V across 10 kΩ and 5 kΩ gives 3 V at the middle. Pixel-art kiss-cut sticker in 2, 3, 4 and 6 inches; equation, symbols and sources in the physics panel below.

Size
Surface

Flat $6 shipping worldwideMade to order, ships in 2–5 business days

Details

Size3″ × 3″

3″ × 3″ kiss-cut sticker.

Shipping

Flat $6 shipping on every order, worldwide, whatever's in it.

Delivery times & where we ship

Returns & replacements21 days

Every item is printed to order, so we can’t accept returns or exchanges for change of mind, or if you ordered the wrong size or colour.

Print defect, misprint, damage or the wrong item? We’ll send a free replacement, or a refund if you prefer. Report it within 21 days of delivery with a photo; no need to send it back.

Full refund & replacement policy

The physics

Meet Splitta, two resistors in a line who share a battery's voltage and hand out just the part you need.

When two resistors are connected in series, the same current flows through both. Ohm's law says the voltage across each is that current times its resistance. So the battery's voltage is shared in proportion to the resistances, and a wire tapped between them picks up one share.

The output voltage is V_out = V × R₂/(R₁ + R₂). With a 9 V battery, R₁ = 10 kΩ and R₂ = 5 kΩ, the current is 0.6 mA and V_out = 9 × 5/15 = 3 V.

Equal resistors split the voltage exactly in half. Make R₂ bigger and the output rises toward the full 9 V.

Volume knobs, light sensors and the joysticks on game controllers all work as voltage dividers with one resistor that changes. The divider only holds its value if whatever you connect to the output draws very little current.

Equations

\[V_{\text{out}} = V\,\frac{R_2}{R_1 + R_2}\]
SymbolMeaningUnit
\(V_{\text{out}}\) output voltage across R_2 \(\mathrm{V}\)
\(V\) supply voltage \(\mathrm{V}\)
\(R_1\) upper resistance \(\mathrm{Ω}\)
\(R_2\) lower resistance \(\mathrm{Ω}\)

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — Voltage divider
  2. OpenStax University Physics Vol. 2 — Resistors in Series and Parallel

Field notes

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