[′tapt pə‚ten·chē¦äm·əd·ər ′fəŋk·shən ‚jen·ə‚rād·ər] (electronics) A device used in analog computers for representing a function of one variable, consisting of a potentiometer with a number of taps held at voltages determined by a table of values of the variable; the input variable sets the angular position of a shaft that moves a slide contact, and the output voltage is taken from the slide contact.