Transient response of impulse voltage dividers

With modern test instruments it is possible to measure the transient response of an impulse-voltage-divider system directly and with good accuracy. The response to a step function, a wave which rises to its steady-state amplitude instantaneously, is particularly easy to determine. This is fortunate since a good approach to understanding the transient response of a complicated system is through study of the step response. The purpose of this paper is threefold: to explain the significance of the step response, to relate the step response to the over-all transient response of the system, and to relate the crest accuracy and step response of a divider system by means of simple accuracy curves. Certain methods which may sometimes be used to improve the response of practical impulse voltage dividers will also be discussed.