Dependent source

<p>In the theory of <a href="/facts/Electrical_network/zt94kTW0">electrical networks</a>, a dependent source  is a <a href="/facts/Voltage_source/aAIbDymf">voltage source</a> or a <a href="/facts/Current_source/1UkYH0aG">current source</a> whose value depends on a voltage or current elsewhere in the network.
</p><p>Dependent sources are useful, for example, in modeling the behavior of amplifiers. A <a href="/facts/Bipolar_junction_transistor/9BMcGv5Q">bipolar junction transistor</a> can be modeled as a dependent current source whose magnitude depends on the magnitude of the current fed into its controlling base terminal. An <a href="/facts/Operational_amplifier/hunKdYb9">operational amplifier</a> can be described as a voltage source dependent on the differential input voltage between its input terminals. Practical circuit elements have properties such as finite power capacity, voltage, current, or frequency limits that mean an ideal source is only an approximate model. Accurate modeling of practical devices requires using several idealized elements in combination.
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Dependent source open-in-new

Dependent source