Back مقياس الجهد الانزلاقي Arabic Потенциометър Bulgarian Potenciòmetre Catalan Potenciometr Czech Potentiometer Danish Potentiometer German Ποτενσιόμετρο Greek Potenciometro Esperanto Potenciómetro Spanish Potentsiomeeter Estonian
 A typical single-turn potentiometer | |
| Type | Passive |
|---|---|
| Electronic symbol | |
 (IEC Standard) (ANSI Standard) | |
A potentiometer is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding or rotating contact that forms an adjustable voltage divider.[1] If only two terminals are used, one end and the wiper, it acts as a variable resistor or rheostat.
The measuring instrument called a potentiometer is essentially a voltage divider used for measuring electric potential (voltage); the component is an implementation of the same principle, hence its name.
Potentiometers are commonly used to control electrical devices such as volume controls on audio equipment. It is also used in speed control of fans. Potentiometers operated by a mechanism can be used as position transducers, for example, in a joystick. Potentiometers are rarely used to directly control significant power (more than a watt), since the power dissipated in the potentiometer would be comparable to the power in the controlled load.
- ^ The Authoritative Dictionary of IEEE Standards Terms (IEEE 100) (seventh ed.). Piscataway, New Jersey: IEEE Press. 2000. ISBN 0-7381-2601-2.