ohmscher

Ohmscher is a German adjective used in physics and electrical engineering to describe elements, relationships, or devices that obey Ohm's law. The term derives from the name Ohm, after Georg Simon Ohm, who formulated the law. In German, this concept appears in phrases such as der ohmsche Widerstand (the ohmic resistance) and eine ohmsche Leitung (an ohmic conductor). The English equivalent is ohmic.

An ohmic component exhibits a current that is proportional to the applied voltage, with a constant resistance R, described by V = IR. This linear relationship holds within specified conditions, typically at moderate voltages and a stable temperature. In practice, many metals and well-engineered resistors behave ohmically over a wide operating range, but real materials can show changes in resistance with temperature, voltage, or magnetic effects, which limits the ideal ohmic behavior.

The term contrasts with non-ohmic elements, whose current–voltage characteristics are nonlinear. Examples include diodes, transistors, and incandescent lamps at higher currents, where the effective resistance changes as voltage or current varies. In technical writing, describing a component as ohmic signals that its behavior can be modeled by a fixed resistance within the relevant operating point, even though all real devices have some deviations from ideality.