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Question
What happens to the resistance as the conductor is made thinner?
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Solution
The resistance of a wire can be represented by the following equation:
`R=(rhol)/A`
So, when the conductor is made thinner, its area of cross-section will decrease, since resistance is inversely proportional to the area of the conductor. Therefore, its resistance will increase.
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| Electrical resistivity of some substances at 20°C | ||
| − | Material | Resistivity (Ω m) |
| Conductors |
Silver | 1.60 × 10−8 |
| Copper | 1.62 × 10−8 | |
| Aluminium | 2.63 × 10−8 | |
| Tungsten | 5.20 × 10−8 | |
| Nickel | 6.84 × 10−8 | |
| Iron | 10.0 × 10−8 | |
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| Mercury | 94.0 × 10−8 | |
| Manganese | 1.84 × 10−6 | |
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Constantan (alloy of Cu and Ni) |
49 × 10−6 |
| Manganin (alloy of Cu, Mn and Ni) |
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| Nichrome (alloy of Ni, Cr, Mn and Fe) |
100 × 10−6 | |
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| Ebonite | 1015 − 1017 | |
| Diamond | 1012 − 1013 | |
| Paper (dry) | 1012 | |
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