A potentiometer can adjust the voltage divider ratio and change the potential, equivalent to an adjustable electronic component. Its symbol is RP. A derivative of the variable resistor, the potentiometer consists of a resistor element and a rotating sliding system. The contact brush of the movable arm slides across the resistor element, continuously changing the resistance between the movable arm and the two ends.

Common potentiometers can be mainly categorized as follows:
Synthetic Film Potentiometers
Synthetic film potentiometers are currently the most widely used type of potentiometer. Their resistor element is made from a suspension of carbon film, graphite, quartz powder, and organic powders, coated on glass-glazed fiberboard and adhesive tape. Various resistor materials can be used to create various potentiometers, such as those with switches and precision potentiometers. This type of potentiometer offers relatively simple manufacturing processes and offers advantages such as a wide resistance range, high resolution, long life, low price, and a wide variety of models.

Organic solid potentiometers are primarily made by heating a mixture of carbon black, quartz powder, and an organic binder. These materials are then pressed into a plastic body and polymerized through heating. Organic solid potentiometers can be manufactured in a variety of styles, including small, fine-tuning, linear, and logarithmic potentiometers.

Metal film potentiometers include metal composite gold film, metal oxide film, and tantalum oxide film. The resistor element of these potentiometers is made by vacuum depositing these materials onto a ceramic body. They offer numerous advantages, including heat resistance, high resolution, low contact resistance, low distributed capacitance and inductance, and low noise.

Wirewound potentiometers are made by winding a resistive wire onto a ring-shaped bobbin. They offer a narrow resistance range, high power output, excellent heat resistance, good stability, high precision, high distributed capacitance and inherent inductance, and low noise. Their resistance value changes linearly, making them typically used in current circuits. However, due to their high inductance, they are not suitable for high-frequency applications.

Digital Potentiometers
A digital potentiometer is a programmable resistor that eliminates moving parts and is a semiconductor integrated circuit. It features high adjustment accuracy, is silent, has a long service life, is wear-resistant, and offers both readable and writable data. It features configuration and data registers, as well as multi-level storage. It is easy to control, compact, and easy to assemble, making it suitable for home appliances, medical equipment, testing instruments, and more.

Precautions for Using Potentiometers:
1. It is generally not recommended to arbitrarily increase or decrease the resistance of a potentiometer. Doing so will affect its performance and easily degrade its anti-interference capabilities, significantly impacting its performance.

2. When operating a potentiometer frequently, pay close attention to its quality control to check for any faults. The operating power of such a potentiometer is generally not suitable for small applications, and the power rating of a typical potentiometer is also unsuitable for small installations.

3. The resistance of a potentiometer should generally not exceed the standard 1010kΩ. Otherwise, the internal circuits within the potentiometer will mismatch, potentially damaging the potentiometer.