Quote:
Originally Posted by Gunner
Rheostat is an old and automotive term. The term under which you'd find these things in a modern electronics supply house is "potentiometer."
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A rheostat is a two-terminal variable resistor; a potentiometer is a three-terminal variable.
You
could wire a pot to act as a rheostat, electrically.
Most pots are very low wattage; the rheostat term is used here because most rheostats in this application are wirewound and can handle the higher lamp currents directly.