When a metallic wire is stretched, its resistance changes due to changes in its length and cross-sectional area. To understand how the resistance changes, letβs break it down step-by-step.
### 1. Original Resistance
The resistance \( R \) of a wire is given by:
\[ R = \rho \frac{L}{A} \]
where:
- \( \rho \) is the resistivity of the material,
- \( L \) is the length of the wire,
- \( A \) is the cross-sectional area of the wire.
### 2. Stretching the Wire
When the wire is stretched \( N \) times its original length, the new length \( L' \) of the wire becomes:
\[ L' = N \cdot L \]
### 3. Volume Conservation
Assuming the wire is incompressible (no change in volume), the volume before stretching is equal to the volume after stretching. The volume of a wire is:
\[ \text{Volume} = L \cdot A \]
After stretching, the new volume should be:
\[ \text{Volume}' = L' \cdot A' \]
where \( A' \) is the new cross-sectional area. Since the volume remains constant:
\[ L \cdot A = L' \cdot A' \]
Substituting \( L' = N \cdot L \):
\[ L \cdot A = (N \cdot L) \cdot A' \]
Solving for \( A' \):
\[ A' = \frac{A}{N} \]
### 4. New Resistance
Now we need to find the new resistance \( R' \) of the stretched wire. Using the formula for resistance:
\[ R' = \rho \frac{L'}{A'} \]
Substitute \( L' = N \cdot L \) and \( A' = \frac{A}{N} \):
\[ R' = \rho \frac{N \cdot L}{\frac{A}{N}} \]
Simplify:
\[ R' = \rho \frac{N^2 \cdot L}{A} \]
Since \( R = \rho \frac{L}{A} \), we get:
\[ R' = N^2 \cdot R \]
### Summary
When a metallic wire of resistance \( R \) is stretched \( N \) times its original length, its new resistance will be \( N^2 \cdot R \).