Past exam of the physics 2 paper of the University of Oxford / 2016 / 7

Use an ideal operational amplifier with its non-inverting terminal grounded, an input resistor $R$ and a feedback capacitor $C$, as in the upper circuit. Stable unsaturated negative feedback holds the inverting terminal at virtual ground, while the input current into the amplifier itself vanishes.

Applying Kirchhoff's current law at the inverting node givesThus the circuit is an inverting op amp integrator, with its integration constant set by the initial capacitor charge. A constant input makes the output ramp until a real amplifier reaches a supply rail. A practical low-frequency design usually adds a large feedback resistor to limit drift; the ideal integral relation applies where the feedback capacitor dominates.

Interchange the input and feedback components: put the capacitor $C$ between the input and the inverting terminal, and the resistor $R$ between the output and the inverting terminal. Keep the non-inverting terminal grounded, as in the lower circuit above. For an ideal operational amplifier under unsaturated negative feedback, the inverting node remains at virtual ground.

The input capacitor current is $I_C=Cd{V}_{\mathrm{in}}/dt$. It flows through the feedback resistor, givingThis is an inverting op amp differentiator. Its ideal gain magnitude increases with frequency, so it strongly amplifies high-frequency noise. Practical differentiators include components that restrict the useful band and stabilize feedback; that qualification does not change the displayed ideal low-amplitude relation within the operating band.