In the following experiment, I am going to test whether the copper wire will have less Resistivity (ρ) than the iron wire, and/or the two copper wires connected together. Resistivity is defined as how strongly a particular material resists current, and is measured in Ohm-meters (Ω-m). Electrical resistance (R) is the opposite of the flow of electrons, or the passage of an electrical current.
Electrical conductivity (σ) is the opposite of resistivity and is measured in Siemens (S). Electrical conductivity is defined as; the degree to which a specified material conducts electricity, calculated as the ratio of the current density in the material to the electric field which causes the flow of current.
In this experiment I am …show more content…
Connect the other end of the wire to the positive terminal of the 9V battery. Record the voltage drop. Place your results in the table. Whichever wire shows on the multimeter to have the lowest voltage, has the most resistance.
Data:
Copper wire: Iron wire: No Wire: Two Copper Wires:
Voltage: 8.2V 7.8V 8.3V 7.9V
I can therefore conclude, the more wires used, the more resistivity there will be. The copper wire has also proven to be less resistant and therefore is the better conductor of the two wires.
Thicker Copper Wire: Thinner Copper Wire:
Voltage: 8.2V 7.9V
The thicker wire, proved to be the better conductor, and have less resistance. A simple analogy to understand this would be to think of a road. If it is long and thin, there is a lot of congestion and traffic. If the road is wide and has many lanes, the traffic can flow more easily and quickly. I can therefore conclude that the thicker wire has less resistance and the thinner wire is not as good a conductor as the thicker one.
In the experiment, I have also observed that the longer the wire, the more resistance there will be. If the wire is shorter, it will be a better conductor.