What happens to resistance if temperature increases?
2 Answers
It depends on the type of material. For most conductive materials like metals, resistance increases with temperature because the atoms vibrate more, which makes it harder for electrons to flow. However, for some materials like semiconductors, resistance can decrease with temperature as more charge carriers are generated. Are you interested in a specific type of material?
In most conductive materials, resistance increases with temperature. This is due to the increased thermal agitation of atoms at higher temperatures, which causes more collisions between electrons and atoms, impeding the flow of electrical current.
For metals, the resistance \( R \) can be approximated by the equation:
\[ R(T) = R_0 [1 + \alpha (T - T_0)] \]
where:
- \( R(T) \) is the resistance at temperature \( T \),
- \( R_0 \) is the resistance at a reference temperature \( T_0 \),
- \( \alpha \) is the temperature coefficient of resistance, which is positive for metals.
In contrast, for semiconductors and insulators, resistance typically decreases with increasing temperature. This is because the number of charge carriers increases with temperature, leading to improved conductivity.
For metals, the resistance \( R \) can be approximated by the equation:
\[ R(T) = R_0 [1 + \alpha (T - T_0)] \]
where:
- \( R(T) \) is the resistance at temperature \( T \),
- \( R_0 \) is the resistance at a reference temperature \( T_0 \),
- \( \alpha \) is the temperature coefficient of resistance, which is positive for metals.
In contrast, for semiconductors and insulators, resistance typically decreases with increasing temperature. This is because the number of charge carriers increases with temperature, leading to improved conductivity.