resistor

American  

[ri-zis-ter] / rɪˈzɪs tər /

noun

Electricity.

1. a device designed to introduce resistance into an electric circuit.

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resistor British  

/ rɪˈzɪstə /

noun

1. an electrical component designed to introduce a known value of resistance into a circuit

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resistor Scientific  

/ rĭ-zĭs′tər /

1. A device used in electrical circuits to maintain a constant relation between current flow and voltage. Resistors are used to step up or lower the voltage at different points in a circuit and to transform a current signal into a voltage signal or vice versa, among other uses. The electrical behavior of a resistor obeys Ohm's law for a constant resistance; however, some resistors are sensitive to heat, light, or other variables.

2. ◆ Variable resistors, or rheostats, have a resistance that may be varied across a certain range, usually by means of a mechanical device that alters the position of one terminal of the resistor along a strip of resistant material. The length of the intervening material determines the resistance. Mechanical variable resistors are also called potentiometers, and are used in the volume knobs of audio equipment and in many other devices.

3. Compare capacitor See more at Ohm's law

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Etymology

Origin of resistor

First recorded in 1900–05; resist + -or ²

Example Sentences

These objects are juxtaposed alongside digital detritus — circuit boards, resistors — that line the wooden boxes like wallpaper.

From New York Times

These subpopulations of resistor cells can survive treatment and are able to grow and multiply, resulting in chronic infections.

From Science Daily

It is especially challenging to manufacture this layer because it must be thin enough so heat can transfer from the resistor to the microfluidic, but not so thin that fluid could leak into the resistor.

From Science Daily

In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said "not a single bullet" had been fired - because "there are no resistors or detainees" inside.

From BBC

Another theory suggests that, in the photograph, Yang was alluding to Chinese resistors during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

From Seattle Times