resistance 
light to which it is exposed increases. It is the recipro- 
cal of conductivity. The unit of resistance is the ohm 
(which see). The designation resistance is also applied to 
coils of wire or other material devices which are intro- 
duced into electric circuits on account of the resistance 
5105 
2t. The property of resisting. 
The name body being the complex idea of extension and 
resistibility together in the same subject, these two ideas 
are not exactly one and the same. 
resolution 
Il.t '< ! A resolute or determined person. 
Young Fortinbras . 
Locke. 
which they offer to the passage of the current There- resistible (re-zis'ti-bl), a. [= F. resistible = 
sistance of a conductor may be measured by Wheatstone's g_ res i s tible'= Pg. resistifel; as resist + -ible.] 
bridge. This is a device for the accurate comparison of pj w . f >>;,, Veaistpd nt n retiitihlr forcp 
electric resistances, invented by Christie and brought into Capable Ot bemg_ resisted _ as, a resiAliOie cc. 
notice by Wheatstone. It consists essentially of a com- resiStlblenCSS (re-zis'tl-bl-nes), n. The prop- 
plex circuit of six conductors, arranged as shown in the erty of being resistible ; resistibility. i,,4. Q iTr fro^'n Hit lil nilr 
cut. A current from the battery B enters at the June- resi tibly (rf-zis'ti-bli), adv. So as to be re- r( 
tion of a and c, and, 
into parts depending on the relative 
resistances of the branches a, b, c, and 
d, returns to the battery through the 
junction of 6 and <i. G is a galvanom- 
eter joined to the junctions a b and 
c d. When the relative resistances 
are such that a : 6 : : c : d, no current 
will flow through the galvanometer. 
If a and 6 are comparable and adjust- 
able resistances, it is only necessary 
to establish this condition in order 
to know the ratio of c to rf. Many modifications of the 
bridge have been devised. Center of resistance. See 
center!. Conduction resistance, the resistance offered 
by a conductor to an electric current. Contact resls- 
B 
Wheatstone Bridge. 
sistible. 
resistingly (re-zis'ting-li), adv. With resis- 
tance or opposition ; so as to resist. 
resistive (re-zis'tiv), a. [< resist + -ive.] 
ing the power to resist; resisting. 
I'll have an excellent new fucus made, 
Resistive 'gainst the sun, the rain, or wind. 
B. Jonson, Sejanus, ii. 1. 
resistively (re-zis'tiv-li), adv. With or by 
means of resistance. 
Flexion and extension of the leg at the knee, either pas- 
sively or resistively. 
Buck's Handbook of Med. Sciences, IV. 649. 
Hath in the skirts of Norway here and there 
Shark'd up a list of lawless resolutes. 
Shak., Hamlet, i. 1. 98. 
2. Repayment; redelivery. 
And ye shall enquire of the yearly resolutes, deductions, 
and paiements going forth of the same. 
Bp. Burnet, Records, II. i., No. 27. 
In a resolute 
manner; "with fixed purpose; firmly; steadily; 
with steady perseverance ; boldly. 
resoluteness*(rez'o-lut-nes), n. The character 
Hav _ of being resolute ; fixity of purpose ; firm de- 
tance. See contact. Curve of elastic resistance. See 
curve. Living resistance, the work required to produce resistivity (re-zis-tiv'i-ti), n. The power or 
a sudden strain of a body, especially a sudden elongation -_._,._. J n f Vfisisfflnofi'-' oariacitv for resisting 
of a solid.-Magnetic resistance, the reciprocal of mag- property o 
netic conductivity or permeability. The magnetic flux, or The resistivity of the wires. Elect. Rev. (Eng.), XXV. 641. 
total number of magnetic lines of force passing through ..,,-.,,,,. r< rf<ti<tt + Ipt* ~\ 1 
a cross-section of any magnetic circuit, may be given in an resistless (re-zist les), a. [< resist + -less. 11. 
nymag 
expression analogous to that giving the strength of an elec- 
tric current in terms of the electromotive force and resis- 
tance. The denominator of the fraction represents the 
magnetic resistance, sometimes called magnetic reluctance. 
Passive resistance, a friction or similar force oppos- 
ing the motion of a machine. Principle of least re- 
sistance, the principle that when a structure is in equilib- 
rium the passive forces, or stresses occasioned by minute 
strains, are the least that are capable of balancing the 
active forces, or those which are independent of the 
Incapable of being resisted, opposed, or with- 
stood; irresistible. 
Masters' commands come with a power resistless 
To such as owe them absolute subjection. 
Milton, S. A., 1. 1404. 
2. Powerless to resist ; helpless ; unresisting. 
Open an entrance for the wasteful sea, 
Whose billows, beating the resistless banks, 
Shall overflow it with their refluence. 
Marlowe, Jew of Malta, ill. B. 17. 
Resistless, tame, 
Am I to be burn'd up ? No, I will shout 
Until the gods through heaven's blue look out ! 
Keats, Endymion, iii. 
strains Solid of least resistance, In mech., the solid 
whose figure is such that In its motion through a fluid it 
sustains less resistance than any other having the same 
length and base, or, on the other hand, being stationary 
in a current of fluid, offers the least interruption to the 
progress of that fluid. In the former case it has been 
SSSfiS S^AMAVM&NE: resistlessly (re-zist'les-li), adv. Inaresistless 
problem of finding the solid of least resistance was first manner ; so as not to be opposed or denied, 
proposed and solved by Newton, but only for hypotheti- resistlessneSS (re-zist'les-nes), n. The char- 
cal conditions extremely remote from those of nature - &cter Qf being resist i egs or irresistible. 
resist-WOrk (re-zist'w6rk), n. Calico-printing 
in which the pattern is produced wholly or in 
part by means of resist, which preserves cer- 
tain parts uncolored. 
reskew, reskuet, and n. Obsolete forms of 
rescue. 
resmooth (re-smb'TH'), v. t. [< re- + smooth.] 
To make smooth again ; smooth out. 
And thus your pains 
May only make that footprint upon sand 
Which old-recurring waves of prejudice 
Resmooth to nothing. Tennyson, Princess, Hi. 
resolder (re-sol'der), v. t. [< re- + solder.] 
To solder or mend again ; rejoin ; make whole 
again. Tennyson, Princess, v. 
resoluble (rez'o-lu-bl), a. [< OF. resoluble, F. 
resoluble = Sp. resoluble = It. 
f which is 
timeter and the cross-section one square centimeter. 
Transition resistance, the resistance to an electric cur- 
rent in electrolysis caused by the presence of the ions at 
the electrodes. = Syn. 1. Hindrance, antagonism, check. 
See oppose. 
resistance-box (re-zis'tans-boks), n. A box 
containing one or more resistance-coils. 
termination; unshaken firmness. 
resolution (rez-o-lu'shon), n. [< OF. resolution, 
F. resolution = Pr. rezolucio = Sp. resolucion 
= Pg. resoluyao = It. resolueione, < L. resolu- 
tio(n-), an untying, unbinding, loosening, re- 
laxing, < resolvere, pp. resolutus, loose, resolve : 
see resolve.] 1. The act, operation, or process 
of resolving. Specifically (a) The act of separating 
the component parts of a body, as by chemical means or 
(to the eye) under the lens of a microscope. (6) The act 
of separating the parts which compose a complex idea, (c) 
The act of unraveling a perplexing question, a difficult 
problem, or the like ; explication ; solution ; answer. 
It is a question 
Needs not a resolution. 
Beau, and Fl., Laws of Candy, IT. 1. 
(d) The act of mathematically analyzing a velocity, force, 
or other vector quantity into components having differ- 
ent directions, whether these have independent causes 
or not. 
2. The state or process of dissolving; dissolu- 
tion; solution. 
In the hot springs of extreme cold countries, the first 
heats are unsufferable, which proceed out of the resolution 
of humidity congealed. Sir K. Digby, Bodies. 
3. The act of resolving or determining ; also, 
anything resolved or determined upon ; a fixed 
determination of mind ; a settled purpose : as, 
a resolution to reform our lives; a resolution to 
undertake an expedition. 
Your resolution cannot hold, when 'tis 
Opposed, as it must be, by the power of the king. 
Shak., W. T., iv. 4. 36. 
Resolution,' therefore, means the preliminary volition 
for ascertaining when to enter upon a series of actions 
necessarily deferred. A. Bain, Emotions and Will, p. 429. 
4. The character of acting with fixed purpose ; 
resoluteness ; firmness, steadiness, or constancy 
in execution ; determination : as, a man of great 
resolution. 
No want of resolution in me, but only my followers' . . . 
treasons, makes me betake me to my heels. 
Shak., 2 Hen. VI., iv. 8. 65. 
Off with thy pining black ! it dulls a soldier 
And put on resolution like a man. 
Fletcher (and another), False One, Iv. 3. 
5. A formal proposition brought before a de- 
liberative body for discussion and adoption. 
If the report . . . conclude with resolutions or other 
reinltihilp < T, specific propositions of any kind, . . . the question should 
resoiuotie, % LILI. BJ * * f fh( , ;/,,, 
Resistance-box. 
resistance-coil (re-zis'tans-koil), TO. A coil of 
wire which offers a definite resistance to the pas- 
sage of a current of electricity. Resistance-coils resolute (rez'o-lut), a. and . 
\J t \. J < 1 1 1 1 l ill UVwQWUAMHMWM *** v*^; v J OiV/JJ. v/i. ai 
's "with legislative or corporate body, or of any associa- 
tion of individuals, when adopted by vote. See 
are generally of German-silver wire, on account of the low 
temperature coefficient of that alloy, and are usually mul- 
tiples or submultiples of the unit of resistance, the ohm. 
resistant (re-zis'tant), a. and n. [Also resis- 
tent; < OF. resistant, F. resistant = Sp. Pg. It. 
resistente, < L. resisten(t-)s, ppr. of resistere, 
withstand, resist: see resist.] I, a. Making 
resistance ; resisting. 
This Excommunication . . . simplified and ennobled 
the resistant position of Savonarola. 
Oeorge Eliot, Romola, Iv. 
II. n. 1. One who or that which resists. 
According to the degrees of power in the agent and re- 
sistant is an action performed or hindered. 
Bp. Pearson, Expos, of Creed, vi. 
2. Same as resist, 2. 
The first crops of citric acid crystals, which are brown- 
ish in colour, are used largely by the calico-printer as a 
resistant for iron and alumina mordants. 
Spans' Encyc. Manuf., I. 60. 
resistence (re-zis'tens), n. Same as resistance. 
resistent (re-zis'teiit), a. Same as resistant. 
register (re-zis'tei : ), n. One who resists; one 
who opposes or withstands, 
resistibility (re-zis-ti-bil'i-ti), n. [= F. resis- 
tibilite; as resistible + -ity (see -bility).] 1. The 
property of being resistible. 
Whether the resistibility of his reason did not equiva- 
lence the facility of her seduction. 
Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., 1. 1. 
321 
>p. Ivsuiuuitj -LL. 7 coi/K*i/tc, \ 1. 1.. ~- * \ f/i thp r snlut 'nrift 
resolubilis, < L. resolvere, resolve: see resolve.] " "c'J/j",^ Manual of Parliamentary Practice, 296. 
Capable of being resolved. Q A formal determination or decision of 
The synthetic [Greek compounds] are organic, and, be- 
ing made up of constituents modified, more or less, 
a view to combination, are not thus resoluble. . _ - 
F. Hall, False Philol., p. 42, note, by-law. 2, ordinance, 7, regulation, 2. 7. Deter- 
mination of a cause, as in a court of justice. 
[Bare.] 
Nor have we all the acts of parliament or of judicial 
resolutions which might occasion such alterations. 
Sir M. Hale. 
8t. The state of being settled in opinion ; free- 
dom from doubt ; conviction ; certainty. 
Ah, but the resolution of thy death 
Made me to lose such thought. 
Heywood, Four Prentices. 
Edm. You shall ... by an auricular assurance have your 
satisfaction. 
[< ME. resolute 
= OF. resolu', F. re'solu = Sp. Pg. resoluto = 
It. risoluto, < L. resolutus, pp. of resolvere, re- 
solve: see resolve.] I. a. If. Separated; loose; 
broken up ; dissolved. 
For bathes hoote ammonyake is tolde 
Right goode with brymstone resolute ypitte 
Aboute in evry chynyng, clifte, or slitte. 
PaUadius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 41. 
2f. Convinced ; satisfied ; certain. Imp. Diet. 
3f. Resolving; convincing; satisfying. 
Th[e] interpretour answered, . . . Wyllynge hym to 
take this for a resolute answere, that ... if he rather de- 
syred warre, he shoulde haue his handes full. 
JR. Eden, tr. of Pigefetta (First English Books on America, 
[ed. Arber, p. 256). 
I [Luther] have giuen resolute answer to the first, in the 
which I persist, and shall persevere for evermore. 
F oxe, Acts, etc. (Cattley ed.), IV. 284. 
4. Having a fixed resolve ; determined; hence, 
bold ; firm ; steady ; constant in pursuing a pur- 
pose. 
Edward is at hand, 
Ready to fight ; therefore be resolute. 
Shak., 3 Hen. VI., v. 4. 61. 
= Syn. 4. Decided, fixed, unshaken, unwavering, stanch, 
undaunted, steadfast ; the place of resolute among such 
words is determined by its fundamental idea, that of a 
fixed will or purpose, and its acquired idea, that of a firm 
front and bold action presented to opposers or resistors. 
It is therefore a high word in the field of will and courage. 
See decision. 
. . . 
Glou. I would unstate myself, to be in a due resolution. 
Shak., Lear, i. 2. 108. 
9. In music: (a) Of a particular voice-part, 
the act, process, or result of passing from a dis- 
cord to a concord. See preparation and per- 
cussion, (b) The concordant tone in which a 
discord is merged. 10. In med., a removal or 
disappearance, as the disappearing of a swell- 
ing or an inflammation without coming to sup- 
puration, the removal by absorption and ex- 
pectoration of inflammatory products in pul- 
monary solidification, or the disappearance of 
f ever . n. j n matli., same us solution. 12. 
In anc. pros.: (tt} The use of two short times 
or syllables as the equivalent for one long ; the 
division of a disemic time into the two semeia 
of which it is composed. (6) An equivalent of 
a time or of a foot in which two shorts are sub- 
