Resistor

A resistor is a passive two-terminal electronic component that implements electrical resistance as a circuit element. In electronic circuits, resistors are used to reduce current flow, adjust signal levels, to divide voltages, bias active elements, and terminate transmission lines, among other uses. High-power resistors that can dissipate many watts of electrical power as heat may be used as part of motor controls, in power distribution systems, or as test loads for generators. Fixed resistors have resistances that only change slightly with temperature, time or operating voltage. Variable resistors can be used to adjust circuit elements (such as a volume control or a lamp dimmer), or as sensing devices for heat, light, humidity, force, or chemical activity. Resistors are common elements of electrical networks and electronic circuits and are ubiquitous in electronic equipment. Practical resistors as discrete components can be composed of various compounds and forms. Resistors are also implemented within integrated circuits. The electrical function of a resistor is specified by its resistance: common commercial resistors are manufactured over a range of more than nine orders of magnitude. The nominal value of the resistance falls within the manufacturing tolerance, indicated on the component.

Electronic symbols and notation

Two typical schematic diagram symbols are as follows:

The notation to state a resistor's value in a circuit diagram varies. One common scheme is the RKM code following IEC 60062. Rather than using a decimal separator, this notation uses a letter loosely associated with SI prefixes corresponding with the part's resistance. For example, 8K2 as part marking code, in a circuit diagram or in a bill of materials (BOM) indicates a resistor value of 8.2 kΩ. Additional zeros imply a tighter tolerance, for example 15M0 for three significant digits. When the value can be expressed without the need for a prefix (that is, multiplicator 1), an "R" is used instead of the decimal separator. For example, 1R2 indicates 1.2 Ω, and 18R indicates 18 Ω.

Theory of operation

Ohm's law

An ideal resistor (i.e. a resistance without reactance) obeys Ohm's law:

V = I ⋅ R . {\displaystyle V=I\cdot R.}

Ohm's law states that the voltage ( V {\displaystyle V} ) across a resistor is proportional to the current ( I {\displaystyle I} ) passing through it, where the constant of proportionality is the resistance ( R {\displaystyle R} ). For example, if a 300-ohm resistor is attached across the terminals of a 12-volt battery, then a current of 12 / 300 = 0.04 amperes flows through that resistor. The ohm (symbol: Ω) is the SI unit of electrical resistance, named after Georg Simon Ohm. An ohm is equivalent to a volt per ampere. Since resistors are specified and manufactured over a very large range of values, the derived units of milliohm (1 mΩ = 10−3 Ω), kilohm (1 kΩ = 103 Ω), and megohm (1 MΩ = 106 Ω) are also in common usage.

Series and parallel resistors

The total resistance of resistors connected in series is the sum of their individual resistance values.

R e q = ∑ i = 1 n R i = R 1 + R 2 + ⋯ + R n . {\displaystyle R_{\mathrm {eq} }=\sum _{i=1}^{n}R_{i}=R_{1}+R_{2}+\cdots +R_{n}.}

The total resistance of resistors connected in parallel is the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of the individual resistors.

R e q = ( ∑ i = 1 n 1 R i ) − 1 = ( 1 R 1 + 1 R 2 + 1 R 3 + ⋯ + 1 R n ) − 1 {\displaystyle R_{\mathrm {eq} }=\left(\sum _{i=1}^{n}{\frac {1}{R_{i}}}\right)^{-1}=\left({1 \over R_{1}}+{1 \over R_{2}}+{1 \over R_{3}}+\dots +{1 \over R_{n}}\right)^{-1}}

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