Resistivity
Resistivity is a measure of the resistance of a given size of a specific material to
electrical conduction.
Resistivity may also be referred to as the specific electrical resistance, or volume
resistivity, although these terms are less widely used.
Although materials resist the flow of electrical current, some are better at
conducting it than others. The resistivity is a figure that enables comparisons of
the way in which different materials allow or resist current flow.
To enable resistivity figures to be meaningful, specific units are used for
resistivity, and there are formulas for calculating it and relating it to the resistance
in Ohms for a given size of material.
Materials that conduct electrical current easily are called conductors and have a
low resistivity. Those that do not conduct electricity easily are called insulators
and these materials have a high resistivity.
Resistivity definition & units
Resistivity is a measure of the resistance of a given size of a specific material to
electrical conduction.
Resistivity may also be referred to as the specific electrical resistance, or volume
resistivity, although these terms are less widely used.
Although materials resist the flow of electrical current, some are better at
conducting it than others. The resistivity is a figure that enables comparisons of
the way in which different materials allow or resist current flow.
To enable resistivity figures to be meaningful, specific units are used for
resistivity, and there are formulas for calculating it and relating it to the resistance
in Ohms for a given size of material.
Materials that conduct electrical current easily are called conductors and have a
low resistivity. Those that do not conduct electricity easily are called insulators
and these materials have a high resistivity.
Resistivity, commonly symbolized by the Greek letter rho, ρ, is quantitatively
equal to the resistance R of a specimen such as a wire, multiplied by its cross-
sectional area A, and divided by its length l; ρ = RA/l. The unit of resistance is
the ohm. In the metre-kilogram-second (mks) system, the ratio of area in square
metres to length in metres simplifies to just metres. Thus, in the metre-kilogram-
second system, the unit of resistivity is ohm-metre. If lengths are measured in
centimetres, resistivity may be expressed in units of ohm-centimetre.
The resistivity of an exceedingly good electrical conductor, such as hard-
drawn copper, at 20° C (68° F) is 1.77 × 10-8 ohm-metre, or 1.77 × 10-6 ohm-
centimetre. At the other extreme, electrical insulators have resistivities in the
range 1012 to 1020 ohm-metres.
The value of resistivity depends also on the temperature of the material;
tabulations of resistivities usually list values at 20° C. Resistivity of metallic
conductors generally increases with a rise in temperature; but resistivity
of semiconductors, such as carbon and silicon, generally decreases with
temperature rise.
Conductivity is the reciprocal of resistivity, and it, too, characterizes materials on
the basis of how well electric current flows in them. The metre-kilogram-second
unit of conductivity is mho per metre, or ampere per volt-metre. Good electrical
conductors have high conductivities and low resistivities. Good insulators, or
dielectrics, have high resistivities and low conductivities. Semiconductors have
intermediate values of both.
offered by a cube-shaped conductor 1centimeter in length and 1 square
centimeter in cross-sectional area. The unit of volume to be used is given in tables
of specific resistances.
SPECIFIC RESISTANCE OR RESISTIVITY
Specific resistance, or resistivity, is the resistance in ohms offered by a unit
volume (the circular-mil-foot or the centimeter cube) of a substance to the flow
of electric current. Resistivity is the reciprocal of conductivity. A substance that
has a high resistivity will have a low conductivity, and vice versa. Thus, the specific
resistance of a substance is the resistance of a unit volume of that substance.
Many tables of specific resistance are based on the resistance in ohms of a
volume of a substance 1foot in length and 1 circular mil in cross-sectional area.
The temperature at which the resistance.
The resistance of a conductor of a uniform cross section varies directly as the
product of the length and the specific resistance of the conductor, and inversely
as the cross-sectional area of the conductor. Therefore, you can calculate
the resistance of a conductor if you know the length, cross-sectional area, and
specific resistance of the substance. Expressed as an equation, the "R" (resistance
in ohms) of a conductor is
