How does Length of Wire affect Resistance?

P2

The purpose of this experiment will be to investigate how the length of a piece of wire affects its
resistance. We will be controlling the voltage across the wire using the PSU, and measuring the
current in the circuit using the ammeter. The length of the wire will be measured using a metre rule.

Apparatus: 2V Power Supply Unit (PSU), ammeter, resistance wire, metre rule, 3 wire leads, 2
crocodile clips, heatproof mat.

1) Construct a table on a rough piece of paper, with columns for Length of Wire, Current, and
Resistance. Don’t forget the units!

2) Find the current flowing through various lengths of wire: use 10cm, 20cm, 30cm, etc, up to
100cm. Record these on the rough paper.

3) Our supply voltage was 2V. Use Ohm’s Law (see your notes) to fill in the “Resistance” column on
your table.

4) Plot a graph of resistance (y-axis) against length (x-axis).

5) Stick this sheet in your exercise book, and write this experiment up, using the following steps.

6) Write an Aim. Use this sentence, replacing the actual variables with the phrases in square
brackets:
The aim of this investigation was to find out how the [independent variable] affects the
[dependent variable].
7) Write a Method. Use bullet points, and be pedantic! Make sure you include every step that you
took whilst you were carrying out your investigation. This should read like a recipe, so that
somebody else can come along and carry out your experiment.

8) Write a Results section. First, write out your control variables. What things did you keep constant
throughout the experiment? Then, copy up a neat version of your results table.

9) Stick in your graph.

10) Write a Conclusion. It is useful to look at your graph: what does it tell you? Is there a link,
perhaps even a correlation, between your two variables?