Common-mode interference is minimized in such instruments because the differential amplifier is designed to amplify only the difference between the voltages applied to its two inputs. As shown in Fig. 16.11, the voltage at the(+) input of the ideal differential amplifier input is Vs - Vcm, the voltage at the (-) input is Vcm, and the output voltage is AD [(Vs - Vcm) -( Vcm)] = ADVs, where AD is the differential gain of these amplifiers.
The capability of a differential amplifier to reject common-mode voltages is specified by its common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR). As defined further in Chapter 15, CMRR is the ratio of the amplitude of the common-mode signal to the amplitude of the equivalent differential signal that would produce the same output from the amplifier. For example, if a 1.0 V signal were to be simultaneously fed to the two inputs of a differential amplifier, and the output voltage from the common-mode voltages was equivalent to that produced by a 10-uV differential signal, the CMRR,of the amplifier would be 1.0 V/10 uV = 100,000:1.The larger the value of CMRR, the better will the amplifier be able to reject common-mode voltages.