NALUNDASAN, REIGHNER A.

MEAC 101-E
RESEARCH ACTIVITY

I. Objective
- To understand what is a resistance and what are the factors that affects the resistance of a
conductor
II. Introduction
- Electrical resistance, or resistance to electricity, is a force that opposes the flow of current. It acts as a
gauge for the difficulty of current flow in this way. Ohms (Ω) are used to express resistance values.
Electricity will flow from high to low when two terminals have an electron difference. That flow is
countered by resistance. The current decreases as resistance increases. On the other hand, the
current increases as the resistance decreases. In a direct-current (DC) electrical circuit, the current is
typically inversely proportional to the resistance while the applied voltage is held constant. The current
is cut in half when the resistance is doubled; when the resistance is cut in half, the current is increased
by double. The majority of low-frequency alternating-current (AC) systems, including utility circuits in
homes, follow this criterion as well. The issue is more complicated in some AC circuits, especially at
high frequencies, because some components in these systems can store and release energy in
addition to dissipate or convert it. A substance's resistivity is its electrical resistance expressed as a
function of its length, area, or volume. For copper and aluminum wire, resistivity values are frequently
reported in ohms per kilometer.
III. Discussion
a. Definition
- Resistance is a measure of the opposition to current flow in an electrical circuit. It is measured in
ohms, symbolized by the Greek letter omega (Ω). Ohms are named after Georg Simon Ohm (1784-
1854), a German physicist who studied the relationship between voltage, current and resistance.
He is credited for formulating Ohm's Law.
b. Factors that affect the resistance of a conductor
- Temperature, Length of wire, Area of the cross-section of the wire, and nature of the material.
c. Resistivity of commonly used conductors
- The resistivity of a conductor is defined as the resistance offered by the material per unit length for
unit cross-section. Resistivity is a property of the material and depends on temperature and pressure.
The resistivity of conductors is low when compared to the resistivity of the insulators. The resistivity of
an exceedingly good electrical conductor, such as hard-drawn copper, at 20° C (68° F) is 1.77 × 10-8
ohm-meter, or 1.77 × 10-6 ohm-centimeter.
d. Resistance as a function of temperature
 - the resistance-change factor per degree Celsius of temperature change. The Greek letter "alpha" (a),
which is lowercase, stands in for this element. If a material has a positive coefficient, it means that as
the temperature rises, so does its resistance.
e. Conductance
- The ease with which electric current passes through materials like metals and nonmetals is
characterized by conductance. A capital G is used in equations to represent conductance. Siemens
(S), originally referred to as mho, is the common unit of conductance.
IV. Problem Solving
Problem (1): An alarm clock draws 0.5 A current when connected to a 120 V circuit. Find its resistance.
Solution
V
R=
I
120
=
0.5
=240 Ω
Problem (2): A sub-woofer needs a household voltage of 110 V to push a current of 5.5 A through its coil.
What is the resistance of the sub-woofer?
Solution:
V
R=
I
110/5.5
=20 Ω
Problem (3): How much current is drawn from a circuit with a resistor of 1000 ohms if powered by a battery
with 1.5 volts?
Solution:
V
I=
R
1.5
=
1000
=1.5mA
Problem (4): An electric heater has a coiled metal wire which draws a current of 100 A. The resistance of
the wire is 1.1 ohms. Calculate the voltage that must be established to it.
Solution:
V=IR
=100×1.1
=110 V
Problem (5): In the following circuits, find the unknowns,

Solution: In each of the circuits, use Ohm's law V=IR and solve for the unknown. In the left circuit, the
current through the resistor is asked in milliamps. Thus,
V
I=
R
=120/100
=1.2 A
To convert it to milliamperes, multiply it by 10001000 so we get I=1200 Ma
In the right circuit, the resistance of the light bulb is unknown. Thus,
V
R¿
I
24
=
600× 10−3
= 40 Ω
V.) Conclusion
Resistance is an important factor in electronic circuits, higher resistance makes the current flow more
difficult, lower resistance makes the current flow less difficult. Resistance of a conductor is very important, it
controls the flow of current in the circuit. Let us understand by an example, if there is no resistance or zero
resistance of a circuit then the value of current infinite according to the ohms law equation. To conclude,
Sometimes resistance are intentionally kept in the circuit, to limit the current in that circuit. It is same to tap,
which are intentionally kept to limit the flow of water.

In general, every conductor has a resistance