This web page allows you to convert the different electrical resistance units and answers the following questions in particular: What is electrical resistance and how is it expressed? What is the history of various units of electrical resistance and who discovered Ohm's Law? What are the uses of different units of electrical resistance and in what applications are they commonly used? What are some examples of reference values in each unit of electrical resistance? How are units of electrical resistance converted and what is the basic formula to follow when converting from one unit to another?
Electrical resistance is a measure of how opposed an electric current is when produced in a circuit by a voltage applied across it. It is expressed as a measure of ohms (Ω) and is symbolized by the Greek letter Ω. Resistance defines how strongly electricity is opposed in a given material, allowing it to be used to measure how much resistance a material has against electrical current passing through it. This is distinct from electrical impedance, which is the measure of opposition to alternating current.
The concept of electrical resistance dates back to 1827 when Georg Ohm discovered that the current through a conductor is proportional to the voltage across it, thus introducing the concept of Ohm’s Law. Ohm’s Law states that the resistance (R) of a conductor is equal to the voltage (V) across it divided by the current (I) through it. Since its discovery, several units of electrical resistance have been developed, from the ohm (Ω) to the kilohm (kΩ), to the megohm (MΩ), to the gigohm (GΩ), to the microhm (μΩ), to the milliohm (mΩ), to the nanohm (nΩ), to the picohm (pΩ), to the terohm (TΩ), and finally to the petahm (PΩ).
Different units of electrical resistance are used to measure the opposition of electric current produced when a voltage is applied across a circuit in a wide range of applications. Some of the more common uses of these different units of electrical resistance include measuring the resistance of materials in electrical systems, determining the strength of an electrical signal and analyzing circuit operation. In addition, they are used in the testing of electrical components, measuring temperature in infra-red detectors, and measuring the resistivity of semiconductor materials.
When converting from one unit of electrical resistance to another, the basic formula to follow is Ohm’s Law. Ohm’s Law states that the resistance (R) of a conductor is equal to the voltage (V) across it divided by the current (I) through it. To convert from one unit of electrical resistance to another, you must first calculate the value of resistance in ohms (Ω). Then, you can use the following conversion to convert any of the other units to ohms: