
The ohm, represented by the uppercase Greek letter omega (Ω), is the standard unit of electrical resistance in the International System of Units (SI). The ohm is used to define electrical resistance and is one of the derived units defined in the SI standard, which means it is based directly or indirectly on the standard's fixed constants.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Ohm |
| Symbol | Ω (uppercase omega) |
| Unit of | Electrical resistance |
| System of Units | International System of Units (SI) |
| Named after | German physicist Georg Ohm |
| Other symbols used | Ω, Ω, Ω, Ω, Ω |
| Ohm's Law | I = V/R |
| Definition | Electrical resistance between two points of a conductor when a constant potential difference of one volt (V), applied to these points, produces in the conductor a current of one ampere (A) |
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What You'll Learn

The ohm, Ω, is the unit of electrical resistance
Ohm's Law can be used to calculate a circuit's electrical quantities, but the formula must be modified to consider impedance when dealing with alternating current (AC) circuits. AC power differs from direct current (DC) as it oscillates in a sinusoidal waveform, and the electric current can reverse direction. In an AC circuit, the circuit's impedance must be measured, taking into account inductance and capacitance.
The ohm is defined as the electrical resistance between two points of a conductor when a constant potential difference of one volt (V) is applied to these points, producing a current of one ampere (A). In simpler terms, it is the equivalent of one volt per one ampere (V/A). Ohms can be expressed in power-of-10 multiples or smaller quantities, such as the kiloohm and the microohm.
The symbol Ω was suggested due to the similar sound of "ohm" and "omega" by William Henry Preece in 1867. In modern times, the Ω symbol can be produced using the alt code ALT 234 on MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows, and Opt+Z on Mac OS.
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Ω is the uppercase Greek letter omega
The ohm, denoted by the uppercase Greek letter omega (Ω), is the unit of electrical resistance in the International System of Units (SI). It is one of the derived units defined in the SI standard, meaning it is based directly or indirectly on the standard's fixed constants. The ohm is named after German physicist Georg Ohm (1789–1854), who introduced Ohm's Law, a fundamental electrical relationship.
The ohm symbol Ω was suggested by William Henry Preece in 1867 due to the similar sound of "ohm" and "omega". In documents printed before the Second World War, the unit symbol often consisted of the raised lowercase omega (ω). In modern times, the use of the correct Unicode code point is preferable to avoid confusion with the "W" symbol, which represents watt, the SI unit of power.
The ohm is a measurement of resistance between two points of a conductor when a constant potential difference of one volt (V) is applied to those points and a current of one ampere (A) is produced. In simpler terms, it is the equivalent of one volt per one ampere (V/A). The ohm applies to both direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC). In an electrical circuit, voltage, current, and resistance are directly related, as demonstrated in Ohm's Law: I = V/R.
Ohm's Law can also be used to calculate a circuit's electrical quantities in AC power, although the formula must be modified to consider impedance, represented by Z. In AC circuits, the circuit's impedance must be measured, which includes not only resistance but also inductance and capacitance.
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Ω was suggested by William Henry Preece in 1867
The ohm (Ω) is the standard unit of electrical resistance in the International System of Units (SI). It is one of the derived units defined in the SI standard, which means it is based directly or indirectly on the standard's fixed constants. The ohm is a measurement of resistance between two points of a conductor when a constant potential difference of one volt (V) is applied to those points and a current of one ampere (A) is produced. In simpler terms, it is the equivalent of one volt per one ampere (V/A).
The symbol Ω was suggested by William Henry Preece in 1867 because of the similar sound of "ohm" and "omega". In documents printed before the Second World War, the unit symbol often consisted of the raised lowercase omega (ω), such that 56 Ω was written as 56ω.
The rapid rise of electrotechnology in the last half of the 19th century created a demand for a rational, coherent, consistent, and international system of units for electrical quantities. Telegraphers and other early users of electricity in the 19th century needed a practical standard unit of measurement for resistance. Resistance was often expressed as a multiple of the resistance of a standard length of telegraph wires; different agencies used different bases for a standard, so units were not readily interchangeable.
The ohm applies to both direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC). Three important quantities are used to measure a DC charge: voltage (E), current (I), and resistance (R). The principles of Ohm's Law can be used to calculate a circuit's electrical quantities, but the formula must be modified to consider impedance, which is represented by Z.
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Ohms can be expressed in smaller quantities, like microohms
The ohm (symbol: Ω, the uppercase Greek letter omega) is the unit of electrical resistance in the International System of Units (SI). It is named after German physicist Georg Ohm (1789–1854). The ohm is defined as the electrical resistance between two points of a conductor when a constant potential difference of one volt (V) is applied to those points and a current of one ampere (A) is produced. In simpler terms, it's the equivalent of one volt per one ampere (V/A).
Ohm's Law, which was introduced by Georg Ohm, states that there is a proportional relationship between voltage, current, and resistance in an electrical circuit. Specifically, voltage equals current multiplied by resistance, or E = IR. Using basic algebra, the formula can be rearranged to find any one of the three quantities, if two are known.
Ohms are sometimes expressed in power-of-10 multiples to accommodate large quantities. For example, one kiloohm is equal to 1,000 (10^3) ohms, and one megaohm is equal to one million (1,000,000 or 10^6) ohms. In addition, ohms can be expressed in smaller quantities, such as the microohm, which is 0.000001 (10^-6) of a single ohm. The ohm applies to both direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC).
The symbol Ω was suggested due to the similar sound of "ohm" and "omega" by William Henry Preece in 1867. In documents printed before the Second World War, the unit symbol often consisted of the raised lowercase omega (ω), such that 56 Ω was written as 56ω.
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Ohms are used when measuring resistance in alternating current
The ohm, represented by the uppercase Greek letter omega (Ω), is the standard unit of electrical resistance in the International System of Units (SI). It is named after German physicist Georg Ohm (1784 or 1789-1854), who studied the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance. Ohm's Law, which he formulated, states that there is a proportional relationship between voltage, current, and resistance in an electrical circuit.
Ohm's Law can be used to calculate a circuit's electrical quantities, and the formula is as follows: voltage = current x resistance, or E = IR. Using basic algebra, the formula can be rearranged to find any one of the three quantities, given that two are known. For example, if you know the values of voltage and current, you can calculate resistance by rearranging the formula to R = E/I.
Ohms are sometimes expressed in power-of-10 multiples to accommodate large quantities. For example, one kiloohm is equal to 1,000 ohms, and one megaohm is equal to 1,000,000 ohms. Ohms can also be expressed in smaller quantities, such as the microohm, which is 0.000001 of a single ohm.
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Frequently asked questions
The omega symbol, Ω, represents the ohm, which is the standard unit of electrical resistance in the International System of Units (SI).
The ohm is the unit of electrical resistance. It is used to measure the resistance between two points of a conductor when a constant potential difference of one volt (V) is applied and a current of one ampere (A) is produced.
The ohm is represented by the uppercase Greek letter omega: Ω. In the past, the unit symbol often consisted of the raised lowercase omega: ω.
To type the ohm symbol, Ω, on a keyboard, you can use the following shortcuts:
- In MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows: Alt 234
- In Mac OS: Opt+Z








































