Looking for simple answer to a stupide question

[Ned Flanger]

What do they say, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.  I am getting more in depth into understanding schematics and I am trying to remember back to my high scool electronics class.  In a simple circuit, a resistor drops the voltage, but also increases amperage throughout the circuit.  Am I remebering that correctly or am I just crazy?

[pjwhite]

Lowering the value of a resistor will increase the current, all other things being equal.  Remember Ohm's law:  I = V/R

[GibsonGM]

A single resistor will drop ALL the voltage....look up 'voltage divider' on wikipedia or something.  Along with Ohm's law, that is a really good way to learn!   All that stuff is proportional. 

As PJ stated, lowering the resistance will increase current....a pc. of wire = almost no voltage drop but just about infinite current, which burns it out, = short circuit.....and so on. 

[nick d]

I find it helps to think about water in a pipe :- Voltage = pressure , Current = rate of flow , Resistance = narrowness of pipe. So , to push a lot of water through a narrow pipe , you need a lot of pressure. Theory can be a pain , but if you nail Ohm's law , its the basis of everything else. Good luck and happy soldering!

[Ned Flanger]

Thanks guys for a good starting point.  It's starting to come back.

[PRR]

> increases amperage throughout the circuit.  Am I remebering that correctly

No.

Remember (or re-learn) Ohm's Law. Set up simple examples with a 1V battery and a few 1 or 2 ohm resistors. Figure all the voltages and currents.

It is tedious, true. But a gut-level understanding of voltage, current, and resistance is the foundation of ALL electrical work. Military boot-camp makes you do a million push-ups as a foundation for real military missions; if I ran an electronics boot-camp I'd start with enough V/I/R problems to build mental muscles.