The Thickness of Nichrome Wire And Its Effect on Its Resistance

1947 Words4 Pages

The Thickness of Nichrome Wire And Its Effect on Its Resistance

Introduction

A current is the flow of negative electrons around a circuit.

Electrons get pushed out of the negative pole of the cell and drift

slowly round the circuit, from atom to atom in the wire, to the

positive pole of the cell. A current flowing in one direction like

this is called direct current. (d.c.)

A cell pushes these electrons around a circuit. It acts as an electric

pump. Different cells provide electrons with different amounts of

energy, or have greater 'voltage.' When a cell is connected to lamps,

the voltage pushes the electrons around the circuit. The energy to do

this comes from the chemical energy stored inside the cell. Batteries

are a store of chemical energy and the wires are able convert this

into electrical energy to be carried around the circuit. The energy

that the electrons carry is converted into light energy by the bulbs.

After the electrons have provided the bulb with the energy to light

up, they carry on their journey around the circuit, but with less

energy. Voltmeters measure the amount of energy that electrons have.

Nichrome Wire

Everything within a circuit has a level of resistance, measured in

'ohms.' Resistance is a force which opposes the flow of an electrical

current around a circuit so that more energy is required to push the

charged particles around the circuit. The nichrome wire contains free

moving electrons, which resist the flow of the negative electrons

supplied by the cell. Therefore, for the electrons to flow through the

wire, the voltage must increase. The amount of energy contained by the

electrons must be greater than that of the free moving electrons in

the nichrome wire, so that they can flow freely. As the voltage

increases, so does the resistance. As the length of the nichrome wire

increases, there is more space for the free moving electrons to move

around inside the nichrome wire. This means that as the electrons try

to pass through the wire, they will be resisted by more free moving

Show More
Related

  • Investigation Into the Resistivity of a Wire

    1884 Words  | 4 Pages

    I also decided to use a wooden block to keep hold of the wire, because

    Read More

  • Essay On Potassium Secretion

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    The pump exchanges three sodium molecules for two potassium molecules. In doing so an electrical gradient is formed across the basolateral membrane of the cell due to the imbalance of charge generated. The interior of the cell is negative by about 80mV in relation to the outside...

    Read More

  • Physics of Neurons

    1389 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nerve cells generate electrical signals to transmit information. Neurons are not necessarily intrinsically great electrical conductors, however, they have evolved specialized mechanisms for propagating signals based on the flow of ions across their membranes.

    Read More

  • Investigating Which Metal Combination Gives Out the Most Voltage in a Solution

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    Metals contain a sea of electrons (which are negatively charged) and which flow throughout the metal. This is what allows electric current to flow so well in all metals. An electrode is a component of an electric circuit that connects the wiring of the circuit to a gas or electrolyte. A compound that conducts in a solution is called an electrolyte. The electrically positive electrode is called the anode and the negative electrode the cathode.

    Read More

  • Energy Story

    433 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the article,"Energy Story", it tells you all about basic energy and how scientists found out how it works. It tells you about each part of an electron and what part is what. The center is called the Nucleus. Electrons and atoms move together to create what is known as electricity. Atoms and electrons flow through an object

    Read More

  • Factors Which Affect the Resistance of a Wire

    1487 Words  | 3 Pages

    of the atoms, so if there are more or larger atoms then there must be

    Read More

  • Dry Cell Battery Essay

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    A battery is a device which converts chemical energy into electrical energy. A battery usually consists of two or more cells connected in series or parallel, you can also have a single cell battery. All cells consist of a positive electrode, and a negative electrode. An electrolyte is a liquid substance capable of conducting electricity. In this substance one of the electrodes will react producing electrons, while the other will except electrons. When the electrodes are connected to a device to be powered, called a load, an electrical current flows.

    Read More

  • Electroplating Experiment

    2202 Words  | 5 Pages

    If the distance between the two electrodes is smaller, the copper ions need less energy to flow from the anode to the cathode

    Read More

  • Investigating the Effect the Thickness of a Wire has On Its Resistance

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    Investigating the Effect the Thickness of a Wire has on Its Resistance. Equipment:.. Nickel Wire cut into 10 pieces of 30cm length (Ruler, Pliers). Two crocodile clips Five Pieces of Wire Power Source Variable Resistor Ammeter Volt Meter Method: The.. =

    Read More

  • Factors Affecting the Resistance of a Wire

    890 Words  | 2 Pages

    Factors Affecting the Resistance of a Wire The aim of this experiment is to investigate one factor that affect the resistance of a wire. I will do this by performing an experiment. First I will need to identify the factors that effect resistance. There are a few factors that affect the resistance, it is determined by the properties an object has.

    Read More

  • The Relationship Between Length, Width and Resistance of a Wire

    2113 Words  | 5 Pages

    The free electrons are given energy and as a result, move and collide with neighbouring. free electrons. This happens across the length of the wire and thus electricity is conducted in the building. Resistance is the result of energy lost as heat. The sand is hot.

    Read More

  • Ohm's Law: Electrical Conductivity and Resistence

    936 Words  | 2 Pages

    Numerous factors influence electrical conductivity and resistance, two of them are temperature and length of the wire (these are external factors). Electrical conductivity is defined as the property used to describe how well materials allow electrons to flow, and the degree to which a specific material conducts electricity., Electrical conductivity is calculated as the ratio of the current density in the material to the electric field that causes the flow of current. The SI unit of electrical conductivity is Siemens per meter (S/m). Electrical conductivity is also commonly represented by the Greek letter σ (sigma), but κ (kappa) (especially in electrical engineering) or γ (gamma) are alsowhich are occasionally used. Electrical resistivity quantifies how strongly a specific material opposes the flow of electric current. Electrical resistivity is commonly represented by the Greek letter ρ (rho). The SI unit of electrical resistivity is the ohm⋅metre (Ω⋅m) although other units like ohm⋅centimetre (Ω⋅cm) are also in use.

    Read More

  • Volume's Effect on a Copper Sulphate Solution

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    An electrode is a component of an electric circuit that connects the conventional wiring of the circuit to a conducting medium such as an electrolyte or a gas. The electrically positive electrode is called the anode and the negative electrode the cathode. If an anode and a cathode are placed in a solution of an electrolyte and a source of direct current is connected between them, the positive ions in the

    Read More

  • Solar Panels At My House

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Mr. Solar.com, “this type of energy production, known as the Photovoltaic Effect, is achieved by solar panels converting sunlight into energy. Solar panels are made up of several individual solar cells, composed of layers of silicon, phosphorous (which provides the negative charge), and boron (which provides the positive charge). Solar panels absorb the sunlight’s photons and by doing so initiate an electric current, producing electrons. The resulting energy generated from photons striking the surface of the solar panel allows electrons to be knocked out of their atomic orbits and released into an electric field generated by the solar cells, which then pull these free electrons into a DC or directional current.” This electricity then proceeds to a mechanical room beneath our house to a charge controller, which regulates the amount of energy sent to our 24V batteries to be stored.

    Read More

  • Light Bulb Essay

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thomas Alva Edison is a very well-known American inventor. He invented about 1093 devices that influenced us greatly, such as light bulb, microphone, telephone receiver, universal stock ticker, phonograph, kinetoscope (used to view moving pictures), storage battery, electric pen, and mimeograph. Edison also improved many other existing devices as well. In the period from 1878 to 1880, Thomas Edison began serious research into developing a practical incandescent lamp. Edison and his associates worked on at least three thousand different theories to develop an efficient incandescent lamp. In 1878, Edison built his first high resistance incandescent electric light. Incandescent lamps make light by using electricity to heat a thin strip of material (called a filament) until it gets hot enough to glow. Many inventors had tried to perfect incandescent lamps to "sub-divide" electric light or make it smaller and weaker than it was in the existing arc lamps, which were too bright to be used for small spaces such as the rooms of a house.Edison's lamp would consist of a filament ho...

    Read More

More about The Thickness of Nichrome Wire And Its Effect on Its Resistance

Open Document