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Resistance and Resistivity

Imagine you're standing in a long, crowded hallway, and suddenly, everyone starts walking in the same direction. How easily could you leave the corridor, if following the crowd was the only way out? What would happen if the hallway shortened or became more narrow, or more people entered, walking at a faster pace? Depending on the circumstances, it would become easier or more difficult to move from one end to the other. This is analogous to resistance and resistivity. In a long cylindrical wire, the resistance depends on the length and cross-sectional area of the wire. So walking through a shorter and wider corridor would be much easier: we could say there is less resistance. Resistivity, on the other hand, is an inherent characteristic of the material, or the crowd in this example. A corridor full of children would have a different resistivity to that full of adults, as kids take up less space. Similarly, different materials have different atomic structures, with various arrangements and different inter-atomic spacing. In this article, we'll develop a better understanding of resistance and resistivity and check our knowledge by applying it to real-life examples!

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Which types of materials have high resistivity?

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What is the expression used to calculate resistance \(R\) of a wire? Here \(\rho\) is the resistivity of the wire's material, \(\ell\) is the length of the wire, \(A\) is the cross-sectional area of the wire, \(V\) is the voltage over the wire, and \(I\) is the current running through the wire.

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What is the SI unit of resistivity?

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At what temperatures is resistivity usually measured and tabulated?

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What is conductivity?

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What factors impact a material's resistivity?

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Which of the following does not impact the resistance of a wire?

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A copper wire at room temperature has a resistance of \(0.350\, \Omega\). What is the cross-sectional area of this wire, if it has a length of \(12.0\, \mathrm{m}\)? The resistivity of copper is \(1.70 \times10^{-8} \, \Omega \, \mathrm{m}\).

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A cube of unknown material is connected in an electric circuit. What is the resistivity of this cube, if it has a side of \(3.0 \, \mathrm{mm}\) and a resistance of \( 0.50 \, \Omega\)?

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If the cross-sectional area \(A\) of a wire is increased, what happens to the resistance \(R\)?

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Gold is a metal with a resistivity of \(2.44\times10^{-8}  \, \Omega \,\mathrm{m} \) at room temperature. Based on this information, what can we conclude about gold?

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  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Which types of materials have high resistivity?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

What is the expression used to calculate resistance \(R\) of a wire? Here \(\rho\) is the resistivity of the wire's material, \(\ell\) is the length of the wire, \(A\) is the cross-sectional area of the wire, \(V\) is the voltage over the wire, and \(I\) is the current running through the wire.

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

What is the SI unit of resistivity?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

At what temperatures is resistivity usually measured and tabulated?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

What is conductivity?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

What factors impact a material's resistivity?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Which of the following does not impact the resistance of a wire?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

A copper wire at room temperature has a resistance of \(0.350\, \Omega\). What is the cross-sectional area of this wire, if it has a length of \(12.0\, \mathrm{m}\)? The resistivity of copper is \(1.70 \times10^{-8} \, \Omega \, \mathrm{m}\).

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

A cube of unknown material is connected in an electric circuit. What is the resistivity of this cube, if it has a side of \(3.0 \, \mathrm{mm}\) and a resistance of \( 0.50 \, \Omega\)?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

If the cross-sectional area \(A\) of a wire is increased, what happens to the resistance \(R\)?

Show Answer
  • + Add tag
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Mo

Gold is a metal with a resistivity of \(2.44\times10^{-8}  \, \Omega \,\mathrm{m} \) at room temperature. Based on this information, what can we conclude about gold?

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StudySmarter Editorial Team

Team Resistance and Resistivity Teachers

  • 11 minutes reading time
  • Checked by StudySmarter Editorial Team
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Contents
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    Flashcards in Resistance and Resistivity 15

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    Which types of materials have high resistivity?

    Insulators.

    What is the expression used to calculate resistance \(R\) of a wire? Here \(\rho\) is the resistivity of the wire's material, \(\ell\) is the length of the wire, \(A\) is the cross-sectional area of the wire, \(V\) is the voltage over the wire, and \(I\) is the current running through the wire.

    \(R=\frac{\rho \ell}{A}\)

    What is the SI unit of resistivity?

    \(\Omega \, \mathrm{m}\)

    At what temperatures is resistivity usually measured and tabulated?

    \(0\,^{\circ}\mathrm{C}\)

    What is conductivity?

    The ability of an object to oppose current. 

    What factors impact a material's resistivity?

    The atomic structure.
    Resistance and Resistivity Resistance and Resistivity
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    Frequently Asked Questions about Resistance and Resistivity

    What is the difference between resistance and resistivity?

    The difference between resistance and resistivity is that resistance describes the opposition of current due to matter, while resistivity quantifies the structural properties of matter. 

    How are conductance and conductivity related to resistance and resistivity?

    Resistivity and conductivity are inversely related. Similarly, conductance is also the inverse of resistance. 

    What is the formula of resistance and resistivity?

    The formula of resistance and resistivity is R=(ρℓ)/A.

    What is known as resistivity?

    Resistivity is an intrinsic characteristic of matter that describes how much the material naturally resists electric current.

    What is the SI unit of resistance?

    The SI unit of resistance is the ohm (Ω).

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    Test your knowledge with multiple choice flashcards

    Which types of materials have high resistivity?

    What is the expression used to calculate resistance \(R\) of a wire? Here \(\rho\) is the resistivity of the wire's material, \(\ell\) is the length of the wire, \(A\) is the cross-sectional area of the wire, \(V\) is the voltage over the wire, and \(I\) is the current running through the wire.

    What is the SI unit of resistivity?

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    StudySmarter Editorial Team

    Team Physics Teachers

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    • Checked by StudySmarter Editorial Team
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