Resistance

Resistance
● The property of a material tending to prevent the flow of electrons (electrical
current), and at the same time converting electrical energy to heat energy.
● The measure of the opposition to electric current in an electrical circuit.
● Resistance 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.

Factors Affecting Resistance of any Material:

1. Cross-sectional area (A) -The resistance R of a wire is inversely proportional to
the area of cross-section.
2. Length (L) - The resistance R of the wire is directly proportional to the length of
the wire.
3. Resistivity (ρ) - The nature of the material. The constant of proportionality, known
as specific resistance. Its value depends upon the nature of conductor i.e.
copper, iron, tin, and silver would each have different values.
4. Change in temperature (t) - The resistance of conductors increases with an
increase in temperature. This is due to an increase in the number of collisions of
electrons with themselves.

The resistance of a wire depends both on the cross-sectional area and length of the
wire and on the nature of the material of the wire. Thick wires have less resistance than
thin wires. Longer wires have more resistance than short wires. Copper wire has less
resistance than steel wire of the same size. Electrical resistance also depends on
temperature. At a certain temperature and for a particular substance.

R=ρ𝐋/𝐀
Where:
R in Ω
L in meter, in inch, in centimeter, in foot
A in m2 , in in2 , in cm2 , in ft2 , in circular mil (CM)
ρ in Ω-m, in Ω-in, in Ω-cm, in Ω-ft, in Ω-CM/ft

Table of Resistivity of Common Electric Conductor Materials

Conductor Material Resistivity, ρ (10-8 Ω-m at 20o Celsius)

Silver 1.64
Copper (annealed) 1.72

Gold 2.44

Aluminum 2.83

Tungsten 5.5

Nickel 7.8

Platinum 10.65

Iron (pure) 12

Constantan 49

Nichrome 105

Graphite 3500