Clueless beginner's AC dimmer circuit

The concept of RMS volts and amperes (what you measure with=20 your meter (if the AC is sinusoidal, not narrow pulses or=20 something else) were created to allow you to use the same=20 rules for AC as you do for DC. So the volts and amps you=20 measure with an AC meter can be used in Ohm's law=20 calculations for resistors just as if they were DC voltages=20 and currents.

I suspect that the 1 ohm lamp has a resistance more like 10=20 ohms when it is hot. Dopes the lamp have a transformer that=20 steps the AC line voltage down to 12 volts or something like=20 that?

I would start with 1 to 10 ohms in series as a trial, but=20 keep in mind that such a simple dimmer may give off as much=20 heat as the bulb it is dimming, so it might take a several=20 watt rated resistor.

A quick-and-dirty way to dim an incandescent lamp fed with AC is to put a diode in series. 1-amp 50V rectifiers are easy enough to find. That measured resistance sounds awfully low, even for the cold resistance of an incandescent pilot lamp.

I would use a rectifier rated for more than 50V,if it's on the mains side wiring. :-) a 1N4007 should do well (1A 1000V),and they're common and cheep.