Absohm

/æbzˈoʊm/ noun

Definition

A unit of electrical resistance equal to 10^-9 ohms, used in CGS-EMU electrical engineering (now obsolete in favor of SI units).

Etymology

From ab- (prefix meaning 10^-9 in CGS units) plus ohm (the SI unit of resistance). Created in early 20th-century electrical engineering when different unit systems competed before SI standardization.

Kelly Says

The absohm represents a chaotic era of science when different countries and laboratories used incompatible unit systems—it's why you occasionally find old electrical diagrams that seem to use alien measurements.

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