An Investigation into the Relationship Between the Resistance of a Wire and Its Diameter and Length

An Investigation into the Relationship Between the Resistance of a Wire and Its Diameter and Length

Introduction

In this investigation I hope to see whether there is a relationship

between the thickness of a wire and its length with the resistance in

which it produces. First of all, what is resistance?

Resistance is calculated as R=V/I

Where R is resistance, V = Potential Difference (Voltage) and I =

Current (Amount of charge flowing per second)

Resistance is the property of a conductor that restricts the flow of

electricity through it, this is measure in Ω (Ohms) This Resistance

can be because of many things such as the nature of the material, its

temperature, dimensions, and thermal properties; degree of impurity;

the nature and state of illumination of the surface; and the frequency

and magnitude of the current. In my investigation I am to look at two

of these sets of things, length of wire and width. The ideas are;

Length: As the length increases so will the resistance

Width: As the width increases so will the resistance

Pre-test

We did a pre-test in the same way in which the experiment is to be

carried out, to find out and tweak different attributes. Some of which

were;

* Lengths and widths of wire to use to help give us a broad range of

results and help us produce a valued conclusion.

* Input power to use, as to get reasonable results without always

burning out the wire or producing sufficient heat to disrupt

results.

* How to carry out a safe and well thought through investigation.

From the pre-test we decided to work with a 2 volts input on a D.C

current, with lengths ranging from 10-40 cm and widths of 0.3mm to

0.7mm.

Diagram

[IMAGE]

Method

1. Set up equipment as shown above in diagram

2. Choose decided width and length