Variation of resistance with Temperature


As per the previous discussion,
Resistance    R          =          ρ(l/A)
Where,
l           :           Length of the conductor
A         :           Cross-sectional area of the conductor.

Through this equation it can be said that resistance is directly proportional to the length and is inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area of the conductor.
But it also depends on the temperature which is often neglected.
The electron movement across a conductor is often obstructed by the atoms and molecules present in the conductor. With the increase in temperature the atoms and molecules present bounce around making the movement of electrons harder. Which directly corresponds to the increase in the resistance.


For small temperature changes the resistivity of the conductor is linear to temperature as follows;
r = ro (1 + a DT),
Where,
r          :           Final Resistivity
ro        :           Initial Resistivity
a         :           Temperature co-efficient of resistivity
DT       :           Temperature change
Assuming that the length and the cross-sectional area does not change with the temperature change,we often use the formula,
R = Ro (1 + a DT)
Where,
R         :           Final Resistance
Ro        :           Initial Resistance
a         :           Temperature co-efficient of resistivity
DT       :           Temperature change

In some materials like silicon the temperature co-efficient of resisticity is negative which means that the resistance reduces with the temperature, in those materials increase in the temperature can make the charges move freely thus increase the current movement.


This αo is known as the temperature coefficient of resistance of a substance at 0 degree Celsius.

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