potentiometer
potentiometer Lexical Profile
potentiometer Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A three-terminal resistor with a sliding or rotating contact that forms an adjustable voltage divider, commonly used to control electrical devices such as volume controls on audio equipment.
"The guitar player replaced the scratchy volume potentiometer on his instrument to ensure a clean, uninterrupted audio signal."
An instrument for measuring an electromotive force by balancing it against the potential difference produced by passing a known current through a known variable resistance.
"In the physics laboratory, the students used a potentiometer to accurately measure the internal resistance of a primary cell."
Word Nuance & Usage
In practical electronics and audio engineering, a potentiometer is colloquially and very frequently abbreviated simply as a 'pot' (e.g., a volume pot or tone pot).
• Rhymes for potentiometer
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the late 19th century from 'potential' (referring to electric potential) and the suffix '-meter' (denoting a measuring device).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.