What effect does increasing R2 have in a voltage divider?

In a voltage divider, the voltage across a resistor is determined by the ratio of that resistor to the total resistance in the circuit. When R2 is increased, the resistance of that segment increases, which directly affects the voltage drop across R2.

In a series circuit, the total voltage (Vs) is divided among the resistors based on their resistances. The voltage across R2 can be expressed given the total voltage and the resistances using the formula:

[ V_{R2} = \frac{R2}{R1 + R2} \times V_s ]

As R2 increases, the ratio of R2 to the total resistance (R1 + R2) rises, thereby increasing the portion of the total voltage that appears across R2. This phenomenon leads to a higher voltage across R2 with increased resistance.

In contrast, decreasing R2 or having no effect on R2 would either decrease the voltage across it or leave it unchanged, respectively. However, as R2 is increased, the voltage across it does indeed increase, affirming that amplifying R2 leads to a larger voltage drop across that resistor in the divider configuration.