What Is The Difference Between Amplifier and Operational Amplifier? . Amplifiers are very important electronic devices used in electronics and various other fields. Amplifier is a device which will increase the power of a given input signal using an external power source. Amplifiers are widely used in fields such as electronics, data acquisition, audio engineering, electrical engineering, signal processing, and numerous other fields. In this article, we are going to discuss what amplifiers and operational amplifiers are, the operation of amplifiers and operational amplifiers and their application, and finally the comparison between an amplifier and operational amplifier, summarizing the difference between an amplifier and operational amplifier at the end.
Read More : Difference Between Inverting and Non-Inverting Amplifier
What is an Amplifier?
Amplifiers are devices which are used to increase the power of an input signal with the aid of an external power source. The signals are usually in the form of current signals or voltage signal. They can also have a form such as airflow or water flow. Amplifiers have several qualities that have to be considered. Some of the most important of these qualities are gain, bandwidth, efficiency, linearity noise and output dynamic range.
Gain of an amplifier is defined as the ratio of the amplitude of the output signal to the amplitude of the input signal. Bandwidth of the amplifier is the frequency range where the gain is at a maximum range. Amplifiers are also classified according to the efficiency. A class A amplifier has a very low efficiency whereas class D amplifiers have a very high efficiency. Amplifiers are very important in fields such as music and audio engineering, signal processing, data analysis and various other fields.
Types of Amplifiers
- Voltage Amplifiers: Increase voltage levels.
- Power Amplifiers: Deliver higher power outputs.
- Current Amplifiers: Enhance current levels.
Read More : Infrared Motion Detector Circuit
Common Applications of Amplifiers
- Audio systems
- Television and radio broadcasting
- Communication systems
- Industrial machinery
What is an Operational Amplifier?
Operations amplifiers, which are more commonly known as op-amps, are a type of amplifiers that are highly useful in electronics industry. An op-amp has two input terminals, two power inputs and one output terminal. The input terminals are known as inverting input and non-inverting input. An ideal op-amp has a gain of infinity with infinite resistance between input terminals and zero resistance in the output terminal. In practice, the input resistance is very large, and the output resistance is very small. The maximum output voltage of the op-amp is equal to the operating voltage coming from the external power source.
Read More : What is the Difference Between Clipper and Clamper Circuits?
Op-amp is a differential amplifier, which means the amplifier amplifies the voltage difference between the inverting input and the non-inverting input. This allows the op-amp to operate on common mode signal rejection. The 741 op-amp is one of the most common and successful op-amps in the history of manufacturing. Operational amplifiers are very useful in signal comparison, noise reduction, switching, measurements, differentiation, integration, addition, and subtraction circuits.
Key Features of Operational Amplifiers
- High Gain: Provides substantial voltage gain.
- Differential Input: Amplifies the difference between two input signals.
- Low Output Impedance: Facilitates efficient signal transfer to subsequent stages.
Common Configurations
- Inverting Amplifier
- Non-Inverting Amplifier
- Integrator
- Differentiator
Read More : What is PNP Transistor?
Applications of Operational Amplifiers
- Signal conditioning
- Active filters
- Analog computation
- Data acquisition systems
Difference between Amplifier and Operational Amplifier
The following table shows the comparisons between Typical amplifier and OP-AMP.
| Amplifier | Operational Amplifier |
| It is an electronic circuit that increases the power of an electrical signal. | It is an electronic device that amplifies as well as performs several mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, integration, etc. on a signal. |
| It has only one input terminal | It has two input terminals; inverting input and non-inverting input. |
| It has low input impedance compared to op-amp. | It has a relatively large input impedance. |
| It has a large output impedance compared to the op-amp. | It has a relatively very small input impedance. |
| It has only one external power supply. | It can have more than one external power supply. |
| It has a limited and fixed gain. | It has a very high gain in the range of thousands. |
| There are no feedback loops. | It is almost always connected in a feedback configuration. |
| Amplifiers have a very fast response time. | Op-amp has a very fast response time. |
| It generates noise in the electrical system. | The op-amp has comparatively low noise. |
Read More : How to Test a Transistor Using a Multimeter (DMM + AVO)?
Comparison Between Amplifier and OP-Amp
Gain
The gain is the ratio of the output signal to the input signal.
Amplifiers have a fixed gain that cannot be adjusted. It is limited to a certain value which makes them able for certain applications.
Op-amp has a very high gain which can be adjusted with the help of a resistor network. Thus the signal can be amplified according to need.
Configuration
Amplifiers can be used in different configurations such as common-emitter, common-base and common collector. Each configuration provides a different gain and input/output impedance.
In op-amp, there are several configurations such as inverting, non-inverting, summing, integrating, differentiating amplifiers, etc.
Input and Output
The amplifier has only one input and one output terminal.
Op-amp has two input terminals where one of them is inverting input and the other is a non-inverting input terminal. It has one output terminal that is feedback into the op-amp for adjustable gain.
Read More : What is the Difference Between Analog and Digital Circuit?
Input Impedance
Amplifiers have different input and output resistance depending on their configuration. However, in every configuration, an amplifier has a lower input impedance than an operational amplifier. and It has a larger output impedance than op-amp.
It means op-amp takes no to little input current and its output voltage is not affected by the load circuit.
Power Supply
Amplifiers require an external power supply that determines the maximum output voltage is the signal. Whereas op-amp has a wide range of operating voltages including the use of two or more than two power supplies at a time.
Feedback
Amplifiers do not use a feedback loop whereas op-amp is always used in feedback configuration.
Response Time
The amplifier has a fast response time as compared to an op-amp.
Noise
Noise is the unwanted signal that is added to the original signal causing misinformation and error in it. Amplifiers generate more noise as compared to op-amps.
Applications
Amplifiers are only used for the amplification of the signal in power supplies, signal processing and audio systems, etc. Whereas op-amp is specially used for mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction and comparison of signal, etc.
Read More : What is DAC (Digital to Analog Converter)?
FAQs
1. Can an operational amplifier replace a standard amplifier?
Not entirely. While operational amplifiers can amplify signals, they’re best suited for specific tasks like signal processing or mathematical operations, whereas standard amplifiers are optimized for power or audio applications.
2. Are operational amplifiers expensive compared to regular amplifiers?
Operational amplifiers can be more expensive due to their complexity and versatility, but they’re cost-effective for tasks requiring precision and multiple functions.
3. What is the main advantage of operational amplifiers over standard amplifiers?
Their versatility. Operational amplifiers can perform various tasks like integration, differentiation, and filtering, which standard amplifiers cannot.
4. Do amplifiers and operational amplifiers consume similar power?
No. Standard amplifiers, especially power amplifiers, consume more power compared to operational amplifiers used in signal processing tasks.
Related Topics
-
Capacitors and Inductors Basics: A Comprehensive Guide
-
Electric Circuits 7th Edition
-
Electrical Circuit Theory And Technology 3rd Edition
-
Power Converter Circuit
-
Difference between BJT and FET Transistors
-
What is the Difference between Diode and Transistor?
-
Difference between Active and Passive Filters
-
What is a Transducer? Types of Transducers and Applications
-
Difference Between Relay and Circuit Breaker
-
Types of Transformers and Their Applications
-
What is a Voltage Stabilizer and How Does It Work?
-
Applications of Transformers
