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Glite Dictionary
🎚️ A voltage adjuster 🔬 A voltage meter
potentiometer

potentiometer

9.9
A tool that measures voltage accurately by comparing it with a known voltage source
  • noun
  • /pəˌtɛnʃiˈɑːmɪtər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : potenciómetro
  • The engineer used a potentiometer to measure the voltage output of the circuit accurately.

Examples

  • In the lab, we learned how a potentiometer can help measure the electromotive force in various electrical experiments.

  • On the other hand, the motion capture system provides a sampling rate of 600 Hz, and this sampling rate is determined sufficient to capture the beam deflection based on a comparison of the results from the potentiometer readings at 20,000 Hz.

    Academic text (2017)

  • So here we have the desired angle again through some type of potentiometer, the two are compared.

  • To calibrate the device, the technician adjusted the potentiometer until the readings matched the reference voltage.

Synonyms

voltmeter
vspotentiometer
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A tool that measures the voltage between two points in an electric circuit

uses comparison with a known voltage instead of direct point-to-point reading
electrometer
vspotentiometer
  • Specialized
1 9.2

A device that measures very small electric voltages without drawing current from the source

uses comparison with a known voltage instead of measuring without drawing current
multimeter
vspotentiometer
  • Specialized
1 3.9

An electronic tool that measures voltage, current and resistance in wires and circuits

focuses on measuring emf by comparison with a known voltage

How Precise

potentiometer
  • Specialized
9.9
voltmeter
  • Specialized
1 4.1
comparator
  • Specialized
1 6.8

Surface Forms

potentiometer singular
potentiometers plural

Morphology

potentiometer = potential (semi-transparent) = potential + meter

The parts clearly suggest 'a meter for potential/voltage', but the term is technical enough that a learner may not infer the exact scientific function.

Etymology

Potentiometer comes from the parts potentia 'power' or 'potential' and -meter 'measure', the same -meter in thermometer. That makes it a tool to 'measure' electrical 'potential', so it is used when you need a precise way to compare and find voltages.