I am reading the excellent Radio Theory Handbook Beginner to Advanced by Ron Bertrand and I've come up on something that I just can not understand. I was hoping that someone might be able to provide some guidance. He talks about how in high voltage power supply circuits that rectifier diodes are often connected in series to increase their overall PIV. The suggestion is that equalizing resisters are needed to force even voltage distribution across the diodes. These resisters are parallel to the diodes. My question is... doesn't that defeat the purpose of the diodes? I see diodes like one way valves and these resisters seem to be bypassing the valves allowing current to flow the wrong way. What am I missing??