What type of electronic element stores data by changing its resistance based on current?

The correct answer, which is a memristor, is a type of electronic component that uniquely stores data by changing its resistance in response to the amount of current that has previously flowed through it. This behavior is distinct in that memristors retain information even when power is removed, essentially combining aspects of memory storage and processing in a single component.

Memristors function based on the principle of resistance change, allowing them to "remember" the voltage and current that passed through them. This property makes memristors particularly useful in applications such as non-volatile memory and neuromorphic systems, where mimicking human brain processes is desired.

The other electronic elements listed do not possess this unique characteristic of recording and retaining data through resistance changes. Capacitors store energy as an electric field, resistors limit current flow without storing energy, and inductors store energy in a magnetic field. Therefore, these components do not meet the criteria specified in the question regarding data storage through resistance variation.