Electric Circuits 1 Week 4 Lesson

RESISTANCE
LEARNING OUTCOMES
After completing this unit, you are
expected to:

1. define resistance.
2. discuss how resistance restricts current.
3. identify the factors that affect the resistance of conductors.
4. find the resistance of conductors.
5. identify various types of fixed and variable resistors.
6. determine resistance value by color code.
7. define conductance.
8. calculate the cross-sectional area of a wire or cable in terms of
circular mils.
9. convert circular mils to other units.
10. compute the insulation resistance of high voltage cables.
11. select the proper size or wattage of a resistor.
12. discuss the effect of temperature on the resistance of a conductor.
 ILOs TLAs ATs
1. define electricity.
2. name some scientists who 1. Lecture
contributed to the
development of electricity
and electronics.
2. Discussion 1. Recitation
3. discuss the scientist’s
3. PowerPoint
4.
contributions to electricity
and electronics.
quote some applications of Presentation 2. Seatwork
5.
electricity and electronics.
identify various electrical
components.
3. Assignment
6. use metric prefixes in
simplifying large and small
numbers.
4. Problem
7. perform mathematical
operations involving
powers of ten and metric
Set
8.
prefixes.
identify the SI units of
mass, force, weight, work,
5. Objective
9.
power and energy.
discuss the difference
between direct current and
Test
alternating current.
 Important Terms

Resistance wire
ohm cable
resistor stranded wire
Conductance solid wire
mil resistivity
circular mil
The Meaning of Resistance
When current flows in a material, the free electrons
move through the material and occasionally collide
with atoms. These collisions cause the electrons to
lose their energy, and thus their movement is
restricted. The more collisions, the more flow of
electrons is restricted. This restriction varies and is
determined by the type of material. The property of
a material that restricts the flow of electrons is
resistance, designated R.
Resistance is the opposition to current.

1kohm

Symbol of resistor or any resistive load with resistance R.

Ohm: The unit of Resistance

Resistance, R, is expressed in the unit of ohms,

named after Georg Simon Ohm symbolized by
the Greek letter omega ()

There is one ohm (1) of resistance when

there is one ampere (1 A) of current through a
material with one volt (1 V) applied.
Why does a conductor heats up when electric
current flows through it?

Current
Resistors

Circuit elements that are specially designed

to have a certain amount of resistance are
called resistors.
 Resistance of Conductors

The resistance R offered by a conductor

depends on the following factors :

(i) It varies directly as its length, l.

(ii) It varies inversely as the cross-section A of the
conductor.
(iii) It depends on the nature of the material.
(iv) It also depends on the temperature of the
conductor.
Low resistance High resistance
High resistance

Low Resistance
 Current
l
l
R= 1m
1
m
A 1m
A
Smaller l Larger l
Larger A smaller A
Low R Greater R
Neglecting the last factor for the time being, we
can say that

In terms of volume

where:
R - the resistance in ohms, 
 - the resistivity or specific resistance of the conductor
L - the length of the conductor
A - the area of the conductor
V - the volume of the conductor
Conductance

The ability of a material to allow the flow of current.

where:

the conductance of the conductor in Siemens

(S)
the conductivity of the conductor in
Siemens/meter (S/m)
Example. What is the conductance of a
wire having a resistance of 2.4 ohms?
Units of Resistivity and Corresponding Units of Length and
Area

Resistivity Length Area

 l A
-m m sq.m.
-cm cm sq.cm
-CM/ft ft CM
The Cross sectional Area in Circular Mils

CM = circular mils

Area = d2 circular mils where d is the

diameter expressed in mils

Area = r2 square mils where r is

the radius in mils

1 mil = 1/1000 in
Wire and Cables

Wires are those electrical conductors 8 mm2

(AWG No. 8) and smaller sizes. Cables on the other
hand, are those which are larger than wires.
Wires and cables are either:

A. Stranded
B. Solid
Example : What is the area in circular mils of
a wire with a diameter of 0.125 in.?

Example : What is the equivalent size in

square millimeter of a cable 250 MCM?
Resistivity or Specific Resistance

If in Eq.

we put
meter and meter2, then

Hence, specific resistance of a material may be

defined as the resistance between the opposite faces
of a meter cube of that material.
 Resistivity of Some Common Materials at 20C

Material Resistivity ()

-m -CM/ft
Silver
Copper 10.371
(annealed)
Gold 2.44 x 14.676
Aluminum 2.83 x 17.02
Iron 98 x 10-8 589.4
Example: What is the resistance of a copper
wire having a diameter of 10 mm and a
length of 10 m?

Example: What is the resistance of a copper

wire having a diameter of 0.25 in and a
length of 500 in?
Example: A wire measuring 6-mm2 , 100-m
long has a resistance of 3 ohms was drawn
down until its area becomes 4 mm2. What is
its resistance in this area?
Effect of Temperature on Resistance of
Conductors

R2

R1

T 0 t1 t2

Graph of Relationship between Resistance and Temperature

 =

where:

- resistance of temperature t1
- resistance at temperature t2
- inferred absolute zero temperature
Inferred Absolute Zero Temperature of Some
Common Materials

Material T (C)
Aluminum 228
Annealed Copper 234.5
Hard-drawn Copper 241.5
Iron 180
Silver 243
Example : The resistance of a copper wire measures
2.5  at 25C. Calculate its resistance when heated
to 75 C.

Example: What is the resistance at 90C of a

1000-m silver wire having a diameter of 2.5
mm?
•Questions!!!!!!!!
1. RECITATION
1.What is resistance?
2.How does a material restricts current?
3.What are the factors that affect the
resistance of conductors?
4.What are the various types of fixed and
variable resistors?
5.What is conductance?
2. Assessments Nos. 6 and 7;
Practical Application No. 2
3. “Edmodo” Quiz
Practical Application No. 2

1. You are working on an electronic circuit. The

current is 5 mA. A resistor is marked with the
following bands: brown, black, red, gold. A
voltmeter measures a voltage drop of 6.5 V
across the resistor. Is this resistor within its
tolerance rating?
2. A homeowner uses a 100-watt incandescent
lamps as a heater in an outside well pump house to
protect the pump from freezing in cold weather.
Unfortunately, however, the lamp can burn out and
leave pump unprotected. You have been asked to
install a hearth that will not burn out and leave the
pump unprotected. You have available a 100-watt,
150-ohm wire-wound resistor. Can this resistor be
connected to the 120-volt source without damage to
the resistor? If so, what would be the power output
of the resistor?
3. You have determined that a 4700-ohm, ½
-watt resistor on an electronic circuit board
is defective. Assuming room permits, can
the resistor be replaced with a 4700-ohm, 1-
watt resistor without damage to the rest of
the board, or will the higher wattage resistor
generate excessive heat that could damage
other components?