Abstract

Citation

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

• Ganescu, V. (2022). 1-096-OP-AMP-Differentiator-ModelingScenario. SIMIODE, QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/Q0NK-MY65

  BibTex | EndNote

Article Context

Description

An operational amplifier (op-amp) differentiator (or a differentiating amplifier) is a circuit configuration which produces an output voltage amplitude that is proportional to the rate of change of the applied input voltage (signal).

An op-amp differentiator is an inverting amplifier, which uses a capacitor in series with the input voltage. Differentiating circuits are typically used to find the high-frequency component of the input signal and in applications of edge detection. In essence, these operational amplifier circuits are meant to produce output voltages which are directly proportional to the input voltage’s rate-of-change with respect to time.

For a sine wave input, the output of a differentiator is also a sine wave, which is out of phase by 180^o with respect to the input (cosine wave); this stems from the fact that the input signal to our subject circuit is applied to the inverting input of the op-amp.

Differentiators have frequency limitations while operating on sine wave inputs; the circuit attenuates all low frequency signal components and allows only high frequency components at the output.