EE 211 - Electric
Circuit 1
Resistance of Conductors
1
RESISTANCE OF
CONDUCTORS
RESISTANCE OF CONDUCTORS
Conductors are materials which permit the flow of charge.
However, conductors do not all behave the same way. Rather, we
find that the resistance of a material is dependent upon several
factors:
• Type of material
• Length of the conductor
• Cross-sectional area
• Temperature
RESISTIVITY
The resistance of a conductor of uniform cross section is
directly proportional to the length of the conductor and
inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area.
Resistance is also a function of the temperature of the
conductor. At a fixed temperature the resistance of a
conductor is
A copper wire of unknown length has a resistance of 0.80Ω. By successive
passses through drawing dies, the length of the wire is increased to 2.5 times
its original value. Assuming that resistivity remains unchanged during the
drawing process, determine the new value of its resistance.
The fourth band indicates the tolerance and
is either gold- or silver-colored, or is
missing. Gold corresponds to a tolerance of
5 percent, silver to 10 percent, and a
missing band to 20 percent.
Wire Sizing
The American Wire Gauge system for specifying wire
diameters was developed using a unit called the circular
mil (CM), which is defined as the area contained within a
circle having a diameter of 1 mil (1 mil = 0.001 inch). A
square mil is defined as the area contained in a square
having side dimensions
of 1 mil.
Wire Sizing
EXAMPLE Determine the cross-sectional area in circular
mils of a
wire having the following diameters:
a. 0.0159 inch (AWG 26 wire)
b. 0.500 inch
Solution
a. d 0.0159 inch
(0.0159 inch)(1000 mils/inch)
15.9 mils
EXAMPLE Determine the cross-sectional area in circular
mils of a
wire having the following diameters:
a. 0.0159 inch (AWG 26 wire)
b. 0.500 inch
Solution
a. d 0.0159 inch
(0.0159 inch)(1000 mils/inch)
15.9 mils
Temperature Effects
The resistances of most good conducting materials increase
almost linearly with temperature over the range of normal
operating temperatures, as shown by the solid line in following
figure. However, some materials, and common semiconductors in
particular, have resistances that decrease with temperature
increases.
If the straight-line portion in Figure is extended to the left, it
crosses the temperature axis at a temperature To at which the
resistance appears to be zero. This temperature To is the
inferred zero resistance temperature. (The actual zero
resistance temperature is -273 'C.) If To is known and if the
resistance R , at another temperature T, is known, then the
resistance R , at another temperature T2 is, from straight-line
geometry,
Tungsten wire is used as filaments in incandescent light
bulbs. Current in the wire causes the wire to reach
extremely high temperatures. Determine the temperature of
the filament of a 100-W light bulb if the resistance at room
temperature is measured to be 11.7 Ω and when the light is
on, the resistance is determined to be 144 Ω.
