In this episode, students learn how and why the resistance of a wire depends on the wire’s dimensions. They learn the definition of resistivity and use it in calculations.

Summary

Discussion: Variation of resistance with length and area. (5 minutes)

Student experiment: Variation of resistance with length and area. (30 minutes)

Discussion: Variation of resistance with length and area. (10 minutes)

Student experiment: Measurement of resistivity. (30 minutes)

Student questions: Using these ideas. (30 minutes)

Discussion:

Variation of resistance with length and area

The analogy to water flow will be useful here - ask them how they think the flow rate will be affected if you increase the cross-sectional area or length of the pipe along which the water has to flow. This should lead to two predictions about the resistance of a wire:

resistance increases with length

resistance decreases with diameter or cross-sectional area.

It will be worth reminding them that doubling the diameter quadruples the cross-sectional area; many students get confused about the distinction and expect a wire of double diameter to have half the resistance.

Student experiment:

Variation of resistance with length and area

You could ask them to do one or both of the following experiments. Both reinforce the idea that resistance depends on material dimensions:

TAP 112-1: How the dimensions of a conductor affect its resistance

TAP 112-2: Introduction to resistivity using conducting paper

Discussion:

Variation of resistance with length and area

Follow up with some theory suggesting:

Resistance is proportional to length l

Resistance is inversely proportional to cross-sectional area A

R= constant × length / cross-section area

The constant is a property of the material used - its resistivity r

R = r l / A

The units of resistivity can be derived from the equation: W m  .

Emphasise that this is ‘ohm metre’, not ‘ohm per metre’.

Discuss the great range of resistivities amongst materials. Values for metals are very small. The resistivity of a material is numerically equal to the resistance between opposite faces of a one-metre-cube of the material; although this is not a good definition of resistivity, imagining such a block of metal does indicate why its value should be so low (~10^-9 W m).

Student experiment:

Measurement of resistivity

Complete this section by asking your students to measure the resistivity of several metal wires.

This experiment provides an opportunity for a detailed discussion of the treatment of experimental errors.

TAP 112-3: Measuring electrical resistivity

Student questions:

Using these ideas

Problems involving resistivity.

Students often get confused between cross-section area and diameter.

Make sure they are able to convert mm² to m² for resistivity calculations.

TAP 112-4: Electrical Properties

Download Word version of Episode 112 (104KB )

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