Chapter 3.

RESISTANCE

• 3.1 Resistance and resistivity

• 3.2 Temperature coefficient of resistance
• 3.3 Resistor colour coding and ohmic values

Prepared by SURYA HARDI, PhD 1

3.1 Resistance and resistivity
The resistance of an electrical conductor depends on four factors,
these being:
(a) the length of the conductor,
(b) the cross-sectional area of the conductor,
(c) the type of material and (d) the temperature of the material

Resistivity varies with temperature and some typical values of

resistivities measured at about room temperature are given
below:

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Good conductors of electricity have a low value of resistivity and
good insulators have a high value of resistivity.

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A piece of wire of cross-sectional area 2mm2 has a resistance
of 300. Find
(a) the resistance of a wire of the same length and material if the
cross-sectional area is 5mm2,
(b) The cross-sectional area of a wire of the same length and
material of resistance 750.

Prepared by SURYA HARDI, PhD 4

Determine the resistance of 1200m of copper cable having a
diameter of 12mm if the resistivity of copper is 1.7 X 10^-8 m.

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Solution

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3.2 Temperature coefficient of resistance

If the resistance of a material at 0°C is known the resistance at

any other temperature can be determined from,

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Example: A coil of copper wire has a resistance of 100 when its
temperature is 0°C. Determine its resistance at 70°C if the temperature
coefficient of resistance of copper at 0°C is 0.0043/°C.

Prepared by SURYA HARDI, PhD 8

A coil of copper wire has a resistance of 10 at 20°C. If the temperature
coefficient of resistance of copper at 20°C is 0.004/°C determine the
resistance of the coil when the temperature rises to 100°C.

Prepared by SURYA HARDI, PhD 9

Example: Some copper wire has a resistance of 200 at 20°C. A current is
passed through the wire and the temperature rises to 90°C. Determine the
resistance of the wire at 90°C, correct to the nearest ohm, assuming that
the temperature coefficient of resistance is 0.004/°C at 0°C.

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3.3 Resistor colour coding and ohmic values

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1. Determine the colour coding for a 1M resistor having a tolerance of š10%
[brown-black-green-silver]
2. Determine the range of values expected for a resistor with colour coding: red-black-
greensilver [1.8M to 2.2M]
3. Determine the range of values expected for a resistor with colour coding: yellow-
blackorange-brown [39.6k to 40.4 k]
4. Determine the value of a resistor marked as
(a) R22G (b) 4K7F
*(a) 0.22 š 2% (b) 4.7 k š 1%+
5 Determine the letter and digit code for a resistor having a value of 100 k š 5%
[100 KJ]
6. Determine the letter and digit code for a resistor having a value of 6.8M š 20%
[6M8M]

Prepared by SURYA HARDI, PhD 18