Chapter 2
Working with Resistors
In This Chapter
Understanding and measuring resistance
Calculating resistance with Ohm’s law
Determining resistor values and tolerance
Working with resistors in series, parallel and combination
Creating a voltage-divider circuit
Looking at how a potentiometer varies resistance
Sci-fi villains the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation had a saying: ‘Resistance is futile’. Captain Picard and the rest of the crew of the Enterprise eventually proved the Borg wrong of course.
Resistance isn’t useful only in battling hostile aliens – it’s also vital in electronics, which is all about manipulating the flow of current. One of the most basic ways to do so is to reduce it through resistance. Without resistance, current flows unregulated with no way to coax it into doing useful work.
In this chapter, you find out what resistance is and how to work with resistors, ...
