 The shaft on a traditional pot can be rotated less than 300 degrees total, but a multi-term potentiometer can make multiple full rotations. They're useful in high precision applications, where you need to find a very specific resistance value. These are both 10-turn wire-wound pots, and a quick look inside will show us how they get their name. The resistive element is coiled or wound along the inside of the cylinder, with each end connected to one of the pot's exterior terminals. When the shaft is rotated, the attached wiper contact slides along the length of the coil, providing a varying resistance based on its position. It's basically the same mechanic as a regular pot, just extended, while maintaining a similarly sized footprint.