potentiometer
nounUK /pəˌtɛnʃiˈɒmɪtə/
US /pəˌtɛnʃiˈɑːmɪtər/
A potentiometer is a small knob you turn to change how loud or bright something is.
She turned the potentiometer on the radio to make the music quieter.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. An instrument used to measure an unknown voltage by comparing it with a known voltage.
The engineer used a potentiometer to measure the battery's voltage precisely.
3. A three-terminal resistor with a sliding contact that acts as an adjustable voltage divider.
The circuit uses a potentiometer to set the output voltage.
4. A device for measuring or controlling a quantity by comparing it against a standard.
The lab's potentiometer helped calibrate the sensor readings.