Investigate how the length of a piece of wire affects the resistance of a piece of wire.

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An Investigation into the resistance of a piece of wire

Aim

The aim of this experiment is to investigate how the length of a piece of wire affects the resistance of a piece of wire.

Introduction

When current goes through a wire, it heats up and is used for appliances that use heat energy e.g. hair dryers, kettles and toasters. The danger is that a wire may become too hot. In this instance, resistance can be used. Resistance occurs when the electrons travelling the wire collide with the atoms of the wire. When they collide, the flow of electrons is slowed down. This causes resistance. Resistance is a measure of how hard it is for the electrons to move through the wire.

Method

Set up the apparatus as shown above.

Once you have set up the apparatus, adjust your wire so the electrons only have 10cm of wire to pass through. Make sure you measure the length accurately with a metre ruler. Then, record the voltage across the wire in volts and the current through the wire in amps. Do the same for the values: 20cm, 30cm, 40cm, 50cm, 60cm, 70cm, 80cm, 90cm and 100cm.

Repeat this experiment twice.

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The only thing that we will change in this experiment is the length of the wire.

We will try to keep the room temperature constant as this could cause the particles in the wire to move faster and will therefore have an effect on the resistance. The material of the wire must be kept the same as different materials have different levels of conductivity. To keep this experiment as accurate as possible, we must try to make sure that the length of the wire is measured accurately. We must also try to make sure the wire is straight as any ...

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