EE 213: Electrical Instrumentation

& measurement
(2 Credit Hours)
METAL RESISTANCE VERSUS TEMPERATURE DEVICES
A metal is an assemblage of atoms in the solid state in which
the individual atoms are in an equilibrium position with
superimposed vibration induced by the thermal energy.

The chief characteristic of a metal is the fact that each atom

gives up electron, called its valence electron, that can move
freely throughout the material; that is, it becomes a conduction
electrons.
As electrons move throughout the material, they collide with the
stationary atoms or molecules of the material.

When a thermal energy is present in the material and the atoms

vibrate, the conduction electrons tend to collide even more with
the vibrating atoms.

This impedes the movement of electrons and absorbs some of their

energy; that is, the material exhibits a resistance to electrical
current flow.
Thus, metallic resistance is a function of the vibration of the atoms
and thus of the temperature.

As the temperature is raised, the atoms vibrate with greater

amplitude and frequency, which causes even more collisions
with electrons, further impeding their flow and absorbing more
energy.

From this argument, we can see that metallic resistance

increases with temperature.
The graph in Figure 2 shows the effect of increasing resistance with
temperature for several metals.

To compare the different materials, the graph shows the relative

resistance versus temperature.
For a specific metal of high purity, the curve of relative resistance
versus temperature is highly repeatable, and thus either tables or
graphs can be used to determine the temperature from a
resistance measurement using that material

It is possible to express the resistance of a particular metal sample

at a constant temperature (T) analytically using the equation
In Equation, the principal increase in resistance with
temperature is due to changes in the resistivity of the metal
with temperature.

If the resistivity of some metal is known as a function of

temperature, then Equation can be used to determine
the resistance of any particular sample of that material
at the same temperature.
Resistance versus Temperature Approximations
The curves cover a large span of temperature.

By examining the curves you can see that for smaller ranges of
temperature, say the 100°C span between 100° and 200°C, the curves
are nearly linear.

This observation leads to development of a linear approximation of

the sensor resistance versus temperature.
Linear Approximation

A linear approximation means that we may develop an equation for

a straight line that approximates the resistance versus temperature
(R – T) curve over some specified span.
In Figure 3, we see a typical R – T curve of some material.
A straight line has been drawn between the points of the curve that
represent temperature 𝑇1 and 𝑇2 as shown, and 𝑇0 represents the
midpoint temperature.

The equation of this straight line is the linear approximation to the

curve over the span 𝑇1 to 𝑇2 .
Quadratic Approximation

A quadratic approximation to the curve is also a representation

of the curve over some span of temperatures.

It includes both a linear term, as before, and a term that varies

as the square of the temperature.

Such an analytical approximation is usually written as