How Does Length Affect Resistance? Essay Example
How does Length affect resistance?
Coursework
Aim
To find out how the length of a wire can affect resistance.
Factors affecting resistance
Temperature
Length of wire
Thickness
Type
Resistance is a force which opposes the flow of an electric current around a circuit so that energy is required to push the charged particles around the circuit.
Resistance is measured in ohms. The symbol for an ohm is Ω
Here is the rule for working out the resistance of a circuit: V/I = R or
V - Volts
I - current
R - resistance
Variables
length of wire
thickness
type of wire
current
voltmeter
temperature
Dependant variables
length
Prediction
As we are looking at length this is my prediction:
I predict that the longer the wire the higher the resistance. This is because electrons have to travel pass more atoms and collisions between the electrons and atoms are made likely rather than in a shorter wire. Also I can say this because I know that the electrons have to compress together more in order to be able to pass through nichrome wire. The length of the wire will make a difference; this is because when you have a long wire, the electrons have to compress together for longer to be able to pass through the wire than they do in order to be able to pass through a short wire. I predict that the longer the wire, the greater the resistance. If I had a 30 cm wire and a 60 cm wire, the 60 cm wire would have a resistance twice that of the 30 cm wire.
Equipment
For this experiment I will be using a voltmeter, an ammeter, five wires, two crocodile clips, some nichrome wire and a power pack. The diameter of the wire will be kept the same so that it is a fair test. The voltage will also be kept the same, although the readings may not be exactly the same each time. I have chosen the following lengths:
20cm, 40cm, 60cm, 80cm and100cm
This is because these lengths have a fairly good gap between
Coursework
Aim
To find out how the length of a wire can affect resistance.
Factors affecting resistance
Temperature
Length of wire
Thickness
Type
Resistance is a force which opposes the flow of an electric current around a circuit so that energy is required to push the charged particles around the circuit.
Resistance is measured in ohms. The symbol for an ohm is Ω
Here is the rule for working out the resistance of a circuit: V/I = R or
V - Volts
I - current
R - resistance
Variables
length of wire
thickness
type of wire
current
voltmeter
temperature
Dependant variables
length
Prediction
As we are looking at length this is my prediction:
I predict that the longer the wire the higher the resistance. This is because electrons have to travel pass more atoms and collisions between the electrons and atoms are made likely rather than in a shorter wire. Also I can say this because I know that the electrons have to compress together more in order to be able to pass through nichrome wire. The length of the wire will make a difference; this is because when you have a long wire, the electrons have to compress together for longer to be able to pass through the wire than they do in order to be able to pass through a short wire. I predict that the longer the wire, the greater the resistance. If I had a 30 cm wire and a 60 cm wire, the 60 cm wire would have a resistance twice that of the 30 cm wire.
Equipment
For this experiment I will be using a voltmeter, an ammeter, five wires, two crocodile clips, some nichrome wire and a power pack. The diameter of the wire will be kept the same so that it is a fair test. The voltage will also be kept the same, although the readings may not be exactly the same each time. I have chosen the following lengths:
20cm, 40cm, 60cm, 80cm and100cm
This is because these lengths have a fairly good gap between