When a wire is stretched to twice its length, its resistance increases. This happens due to changes in both the length and the cross-sectional area of the wire, assuming the wire’s volume remains constant. Here’s a step-by-step explanation to help you understand why and how this happens:
### Key Concepts:
The resistance \( R \) of a wire is given by the formula:
\[
R = \rho \frac{L}{A}
\]
Where:
- \( \rho \) is the resistivity of the material (a constant for a given material),
- \( L \) is the length of the wire,
- \( A \) is the cross-sectional area of the wire.
Now, let’s see what happens when the wire is stretched.
### 1. **Effect on Length**:
If the wire is stretched to twice its length, the new length becomes:
\[
L_{\text{new}} = 2L
\]
Where \( L \) is the original length, and \( L_{\text{new}} \) is the new length.
### 2. **Effect on Cross-Sectional Area**:
When a wire is stretched, its volume remains constant (assuming no material is added or removed). The volume of a wire is given by:
\[
V = A \cdot L
\]
Where:
- \( V \) is the volume of the wire,
- \( A \) is the cross-sectional area,
- \( L \) is the length of the wire.
Since the volume remains constant, even after stretching, we can write:
\[
A_{\text{new}} \cdot L_{\text{new}} = A \cdot L
\]
Substituting \( L_{\text{new}} = 2L \) into the equation:
\[
A_{\text{new}} \cdot (2L) = A \cdot L
\]
Solving for \( A_{\text{new}} \):
\[
A_{\text{new}} = \frac{A}{2}
\]
So, the cross-sectional area of the wire is reduced to half when the wire is stretched to twice its original length.
### 3. **Effect on Resistance**:
Now, let's substitute the new values of length and area into the formula for resistance:
\[
R_{\text{new}} = \rho \frac{L_{\text{new}}}{A_{\text{new}}}
\]
Substitute \( L_{\text{new}} = 2L \) and \( A_{\text{new}} = \frac{A}{2} \):
\[
R_{\text{new}} = \rho \frac{2L}{\frac{A}{2}} = \rho \frac{2L \cdot 2}{A} = 4 \left(\rho \frac{L}{A}\right)
\]
Thus, the new resistance is:
\[
R_{\text{new}} = 4R
\]
### Conclusion:
When a wire is stretched to twice its original length, its resistance increases by a factor of 4. Therefore, the resistance becomes four times the original resistance.