GCSE Physics Coursework - Resistance of a Wire Coursework Resistance of a Wire

GCSE Physics Coursework - Resistance of a Wire Coursework Resistance of a Wire Task To investigate how the resistance of a wire is affected by the length of the wire. Theory What is resistance? Electricity is conducted through a conductor, in this case wire, by means of free electrons. The number of free electrons depends on the material and more free electrons means a better conductor, i.e. it has less resistance. For example, gold …

…was not allowed to cool completely so that the temperature was higher for that measurement. Whilst unlikely (due to the two sets of results), this would cause a higher resistance as explained previously. However, it is now known, after researching the metal alloy "constantan," that the resistivity (the electrical resistance of a conductor of particular area and length) of this alloy is not affected by temperature. Therefore, in these experiments Ohm's Law does not apply.