Origin of 'condenser' name

[kalee20]

Originally Posted by Skywave

I use both, dependant on the sentence. 'Resistor' is a noun; 'resistance' is an adjective...

Sorry, can't agree!

'Resistor' and 'Resistance' are both nouns - first is concrete (I can touch a resistor); second is abstract (I can't touch its property, that of possessing resistance). Adjectives kick in when we describe it, ie a miniature resistor. Or a low resistance.

You can add resistance to a circuit by adding a resistor. You can add capacitance by screwing up a mica trimmer condenser (or by soldering in another condenser or capacitor).

In fact, sometimes I add capacity by doing the actions of that last sentence. But I have never added inducty or resisty to a circuit!

[Station X]

Correct. Resistance is always a noun, never an adjective.

However I prefer to call the actual component a resistor rather than a resistance. You wouldn't call a capacitor a capacitance.

The resistor will be resistive and exhibit resistivity.

[Skywave]

Originally Posted by Station X

Resistance is always a noun, never an adjective.

No: upon consulting Chambers Concise Dictionary, 'resistance' can be a noun and an adjective. So I stand corrected in one sense.

Al.

[kalee20]

Originally Posted by Station X

The resistor will be resistive and exhibit resistivity.

Yes the resistor is resistive... It exhibits resistance though. The material it's made of exhibits resistivity, and depending on its dimensions, this translates to a high resistance (if made into a long and thin shape), or a low resistance (if short and fat).

[kalee20]

Originally Posted by Skywave

No: upon consulting Chambers Concise Dictionary, 'resistance' can be a noun and an adjective. So I stand corrected in one sense.

I've just been looking, can't find any reference to this! Can you give an example of it being used as an adjective?

[Station X]

I checked the Concise Oxford Dictionary and it shows resistance as being only a noun. I don't possess the OED.

[Skywave]

My dictionary is dated 1998. page 908, LH column, at the bottom:
- Also adj. - n. resistance.
I may be mistaken in my understanding of that reference, but I understand that to mean the word 'resistance' is a noun and an adjective.

But apart from that, consider the sentence "The resistance of this resistor is ten Ohms". Surely, the grammar and syntax of that sentence is correct and the meaning is quite clear? The word 'resistance' is clearly an adjective (it qualifies the word 'resistor') and the word 'resistor' is also clearly a noun. We also have "The defenders put up a strong resistance": here, 'resistance' is clearly a noun, albeit an abstract one.

Anyway, this is all now drifting dangerously OT. I don't want to be the one who is responsible for the premature closure of this thread, so I'll say nothing more on this - but I will read what others say. Plus, I'm open to continue this matter via P.M.s.

Al.

[Neutrino]

My electronic Oxford Dictionary of English (2003) lists 'resistance' as a noun and not an adjective.

There are also compound nouns such as: resistance level, resistance box, resistance coil, resistance meter, resistance training, resistance transfer factor and resistance welding.

'Resistanceless' is listed as an adjective.

David

[Station X]

Originally Posted by Skywave

My dictionary is dated 1998. page 908, LH column, at the bottom:
- Also adj. - n. resistance.
Al.

Very odd. What do you get if you look up "red"? That is a noun and an adjective.

Dictionaries generally use 'a' to denote an adjective.

[kalee20]

Originally Posted by Skywave

My dictionary is dated 1998. page 908, LH column, at the bottom:
- Also adj. - n. resistance.
I may be mistaken in my understanding of that reference, but I understand that to mean the word 'resistance' is a noun and an adjective.

But apart from that, consider the sentence "The resistance of this resistor is ten Ohms". Surely, the grammar and syntax of that sentence is correct and the meaning is quite clear? The word 'resistance' is clearly an adjective (it qualifies the word 'resistor') and the word 'resistor' is also clearly a noun.

Yes, it's dead clear, and grammatically correct. All we're debating is, parts of speech.

I'd have said, the word 'resistance' is clearly a noun, and moreover is the subject of that sentence! You can even put the subsidiary clause in brackets, or even leave it out, and it still hardly changes things, ie "The resistance (of this resistor) is ten Ohms." I could argue that 'of this resistor' as opposed to 'of another resistor' is an adjectival clause which qualifies the 'resistance' which is the opposite of Al's claim!

[Dave Moll]

Originally Posted by Skywave

"The resistance of this resistor is ten Ohms". Surely, the grammar and syntax of that sentence is correct and the meaning is quite clear? The word 'resistance' is clearly an adjective (it qualifies the word 'resistor') and the word 'resistor' is also clearly a noun.

Actually, the thing doing the "qualification" is the phrase "of this resistor". The resistance is the subject (noun) being qualified. The ten ohms are the complement.

[Al (astral highway)]

[QUOTE=Dave Moll;1021828]

Originally Posted by Skywave

"The resistance of this resistor is ten Ohms". Surely, the grammar and syntax of that sentence is correct and the meaning is quite clear?

Hey Al,

Perhaps think of it this way...forget resistance for a second, as you are talking about grammar and syntax.

That means there is a formulation where we could substitute a part of speech with exactly the same role, and that helps us focus on what part of speech we're using.

'The [something] of this resistor is [number] somethings.'

So we could try:

'The length of this resistor is ten centimetres.'

Or:

'The weight of this resistor is one gramme.'


Both sets of substitutes are nouns. An adjectival substitute clearly doesn't work.

[Skywave]

O.K., thanks guys: I stand corrected & educated. Sorry to have been such a nuisance; no hard feelings towards anyone. I guess we all make mistakes sometimes. (Walks to corner of room and puts on.)

I'm just pleased that I didn't cause this thread to be prematurely closed.
I'm now definitely departing from this thread: have fun.

Please note: All of the above is emphatically not intended to be sarcastic.

TTFN,
Al.

[MotorBikeLes]

Ref #52, I recall being told more than 60 years ago about the "BABS" verbs, being, appearing, becoming and seeming, all of which take a complement. The examples are all BABS, so no object. Are they still nouns, I forget after all these years, but I can SPEAK the language correctly.
Les.

[Al (astral highway)]

Hey Les,

These verbal forms which behave like nouns are called gerunds...
It’s a concept that is better defined in other languages. We used the term in Latin at my school and also it appears in languages like Russian.

The concept exists in English, but as far as I know, it is now only taught formally in e.g. applied linguistics , not as part of the school curriculum.

[G8HQP Dave]

Resistance is an electrical property; resistor is a component. Both are nouns. Some nouns can be used as adjectives, but I would want to distinguish between 'using it as an adjective' and 'it is an adjective'; this maintains the distinction between what something is, and how it may be used.

[kalee20]

It's interesting, but unlike electrickery where we can demonstrate things, or maths where something can be proven, in grammar it's all open to debate, even if it's fairly conclusive, as in this case.

Who was it who said, "You can call something whatever you like, but you can't stop it being what it is," which seems to apply here?

Reference resistance, a property possessed by resistors - I did use tongue-in-cheek that I have never measured the resisty of a resistor but I have measured the capacity of a capacitor or condenser, I've been mulling over this inconsistency. Is this used colloquially? The word capacitance is certainly the formal term, but has anyone else seen capacity used to denote the value of the component in uF?

Or, should the capacity of a capacitor denote how much charge it can accept (analogy to an accumulator again), up to its maximum working voltage, ie capacity = uF x V, the answer given in microcoulombs?

[Herald1360]

Maybe "a resistance circuit" or indeed "a resistor circuit" makes the possible adjectival use clear?

Who was it that said "English is the easiest language to get by in, but the most difficult to speak like a native"?

[M0FYA Andy]

Originally Posted by Herald1360

Who was it that said "English is the easiest language to get by in, but the most difficult to speak like a native"?

Especially when an awful lot of natives speak it very badly if adherence to the rules is your benchmark!

Andy

[M0FYA Andy]

Originally Posted by G8HQP Dave

Resistance is an electrical property; resistor is a component.

But as I said earlier, 'resistance' is also a name for the component, or it was 70 years ago!

Andy