Dependent source

In the theory of electrical networks, a dependent source is a voltage source or a current source whose value depends on a voltage or current somewhere else in the network.

Dependent sources are useful, for example, in modelling the behavior of amplifiers. A bipolar junction transistor can be modelled as a dependent current source whose magnitude depends on the magnitude of the current fed into its controlling base terminal. An operational amplifier 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 modelling of practical devices requires using several idealized elements in combination.