Distributed element model
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The distributed element model or transmission line model of electronic circuits assumes that each circuit element is infinitesimal, and that the wires connecting elements are not perfect conductors -- that is, they have impedance. The model challenges the lumped element model by assuming non-uniform current along each branch and non-uniform voltage along each node.
This model is more accurate but more complex than the lumped element model, so it is usually only applied to circuits with wires longer than a few wavelengths of the circuit's operating frequency, transmission lines being the most common.
