Variable Resistor Definition Physics. Where r resistance v voltage i electric current. Rheostat is a variable resistor which is used to control the flow of electric current by manually increasing or decreasing the resistance.
Where r resistance v voltage i electric current. Variable resistor a variable resistor has its resistance changed by altering the length of material within the resistor. The amount of electric current restricted by the resistor is determined by using the ohm s law equation.
The english scientist sir charles wheatstone coined the word rheostat it is derived from the greek word rheos and statis which means a stream controlling device or a current controlling device.
Where r resistance v voltage i electric current. If only two terminals are used one end and the wiper it acts as a variable resistor or rheostat. These resistors find applications in radio receivers for controlling volume and tone. In the fixed or variable resistors if we manually set the resistance as constant the resistance changes slightly as temperature increases or decreases.