RESISTORS

Some substances, such as carbon, conduct electricity fairly well but not really well. The conductivity can be changed by adding impurities like clay to a carbon paste, or by wind- ing a thin wire into a coil. Electrical components made in this way are called resistors. They are important in electronic circuits because they allow for the control of current flow. Resistors can be manufactured to have exact characteristics. Imagine telling each person in the line that they must pass a certain number of balls per minute. This is anal- ogous to creating a resistor with a certain value of electrical resistance. The better a resistor conducts, the lower its resistance; the worse it conducts, the higher the resistance.
Resistors 13
1-5 In a conductor, electrons are passed from atom to atom.
Electrical resistance is measured in units called ohms. The higher the value in ohms, the greater the resistance, and the more difficult it becomes for current to flow. For wires, the resistance is sometimes specified in terms of ohms per foot or ohms per kilometer. In an electrical system, it is usually desirable to have as low a resistance, or ohmic value, as possible. This is because resistance converts electrical energy into heat. Thick wires and high voltages reduce this resistance loss in long-distance electrical lines. This is why such gigantic towers, with dangerous voltages, are necessary in large utility systems.