Voltage Rating
Defined as the maximum DC or RMS voltage that can be inflicted across the resistor
Related to power by
Critical resistance value = V2/P
For resistor with 50V voltage rating and
¼ W power rating, critical resistance = 10kohms
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For values of resistance below critical value, max voltage is never reached, for values above the critical value, the power dissipated is lower than the rated power.  For high voltage apps, one might have to resort to a higher powered resistor