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Question
Which has less electrical resistance : a thin wire or a thick wire (of the same length and same material)?
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Solution
A thick wire has a greater area of cross-section, whereas a thin wire has a smaller area of cross-section. Also, the resistance of a conductor is inversely proportional to its area of cross-section. This means that a thick wire has lesser resistance than a thin wire.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
On what factors does the resistance of a conductor depend?
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Table give below Electrical resistivity of some substances at 20°C
| 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 | |
| Chromium | 12.9 × 10−8 | |
| Mercury | 94.0 × 10−8 | |
| Manganese | 1.84 × 10−6 | |
| Alloys |
Constantan (alloy of Cu and Ni) |
49 × 10−6 |
| Manganin (alloy of Cu, Mn and Ni) |
44 × 10−6 | |
| Nichrome (alloy of Ni, Cr, Mn and Fe) |
100 × 10−6 | |
| Insulators | Glass | 1010 − 1014 |
| Hard rubber | 1013 − 1016 | |
| Ebonite | 1015 − 1017 | |
| Diamond | 1012 − 1013 | |
| Paper (dry) | 1012 | |
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