When using a carbon-pile voltage regulator, what happens when pressure on the carbon pile increases?

A carbon-pile voltage regulator operates based on the principle that the resistance of a carbon pile changes in response to the pressure applied to it. When pressure on the carbon pile increases, the contacts within the pile are compressed, leading to a reduction in the distance between the conductive particles. This effectively decreases the overall resistance of the carbon pile. As a result, higher current can flow through the pile for a given voltage when pressure increases, making it easier for the regulator to maintain the desired output voltage level.

This behavior is fundamental to the operation of carbon-pile regulators, allowing them to effectively regulate voltage in various electrical systems. Understanding this relationship between pressure and resistance is crucial for flight engineers, as it influences how power systems behave under different operational conditions.