Answer to Question #112813 in Electric Circuits for Arthur

Question

For practical operational amplifier circuits, the recommended value for the resistors in the circuit is in the 1 kohm – 100 kohm range so that the op-amp can be considered as ideal. Explain the reason for that.

Answer 1

Op amps are voltage gain devices. They amplify a voltage fed into the op amp and give out the same signal as output with a much larger gain. In order for an op amp to receive the voltage signal as its input, the voltage signal must be dropped across the op amp.

If you know the concept of a voltage divider, voltage drops primarily across components with high impedances, proportionally according to ohm's law by the formula V=IR. So the greater the resistance (or impedance) of a device, the greater the voltage drop across that device is. To make sure that the voltage signal drops fully on the op amp, it must have a very high input impedance, so that the voltage drops fully across it. If it had a low input impedance, the voltage may not drop across it and it would not receive the signal. This is why op amps must have high-input impedances.