The word "memristance" is spelled with a "r" after "st", which may seem unusual to some. However, this is due to its origin in the field of electronics and its connection to the concept of "memristors". In IPA phonetic transcription, it is pronounced /meˈmɹɪstəns/, with the stress on the second syllable. Memristance refers to the measure of the electrical property of a memristor, a passive two-terminal circuit element that is capable of changing its resistance when subjected to an applied voltage.
Memristance is a term used in electrical engineering and materials science to describe a passive electrical property exhibited by a specific type of two-terminal electronic component known as a memristor. It is a combination of the words "memory" and "resistance," indicating its unique property of retaining a memory of the current that has passed through it by altering its resistance.
The concept of memristance was first proposed by Leon Chua in 1971 as the fourth fundamental circuit element alongside resistors, capacitors, and inductors. A memristor is characterized by a voltage-dependent resistance that changes in response to the direction and magnitude of the current flowing through it. Unlike a resistor, which only provides a fixed resistance, the memristor's resistance can be dynamically modified and preserved even when the power is turned off.
The memristance of a memristor can be described by its resistance state, which depends on the amount of charge that has passed through it during prior operation. The resistance state can then be later read or modified by applying a suitable voltage. This property makes memristors suitable for a variety of applications, including non-volatile memory storage, neural networks, and reconfigurable electronic systems.
In summary, memristance refers to the unique property exhibited by a memristor, whereby it can change and retain its resistance based on the past current flow through it, making it a promising component for numerous electronic applications.
The term "memristance" was coined by Leon Chua, a professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1971. It is derived from the words "memory" and "resistance".
Chua introduced the concept of a fundamental passive circuit element called a "memristor" that has the unique property of remembering the amount of charge that has passed through it in the form of resistance. The term "memristor" itself combines "memory" and "resistor", and "memristance" refers specifically to the property of memristors.