SCI1501 PHYSICAL SCIENCE LAB Prof. Kenny L.

Tapp
Lab #4: Electrical Resistance

Lab Exploration: Electrical Resistance

Before the Lab: Locate and watch Prof. Tapp’s Electrical Resistance Lab Tutorial Video,
then locate the “Resistance in a Wire” interactive webpage to use in this lab.

Materials Needed: Calculator, Graphing Software (Excel, Google Docs).

The Lab: In Physics, it is important to study and determine how physical quantities
depend upon one another. For example, a question that has been investigated by
physicists, include “How does the magnetic current carrying wire depend on the
distance from the wire?” In this lab, you will make such a determination. The variables
you will investigate are the electrical resistance of a piece of wire, the length of the wire,
and the diameter of the wire.

Electrical resistance is the resistance of the wire to the flow of electrical current. You
are asked to find out IF resistance does depend on the length of the wire. And, if there
is a dependence, you are to find out how the resistance varies with the length of the
wire. Finally, you will look at the effect of wire diameter.

To complete this lab, you must complete the following tasks and organize your work in a
document. Save it using the following naming structure: lastname_lab4, and submit this
assignment as a PDF in the Canvas Dropbox/Assignment folder for Lab #4. Only a single
PDF version will be accepted and graded. It is acceptable for students to handwrite all
solutions, diagrams, and graphs.

GRADING CRITERIA
Make sure to complete and combine these parts into a single PDF:

 Part 1: Acquire the Data

a. (30 pts.) Complete the table.

 Part 2: Data Analysis

a. (30 pts.) Plotting graph(s) of the data.
b. (20 pts.) Answer Q’s 2-6.

 Part 3: Scientific Conclusions

a. (20 pts.) Answer Q’s 1-5.

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SCI1501 PHYSICAL SCIENCE LAB Prof. Kenny L. Tapp
Lab #4: Electrical Resistance

Total Laboratory Exploration #4 Points: 100

PART I: Acquire the Data
1. Watch the Electrical Resistance Lab video for context. In this video, Professor
Tapp demonstrates how this experiment would be done in a laboratory. Please
note that the demonstration in the video is not the method used in this lab exercise.

2. Use the interactive simulation website (link found in this Lab module) Resistance
in a Wire to collect data and complete Table 2.1.

i. You will modify Area (A) to create a Thin Wire and a Thick Wire; write down
the value for A to ensure consistent results when changing other variables
for each wire.
ii. The common U.S. wire gauges (called AWG gauges) refer to sizes of
copper wire. The resistivity of copper is about 1.68 x 10-6 Ωcm. For the
purpose of this lab, use ρ = 1.0 on the website.

Thin Wire Thick Wire

(A= 1.07cm2) (A=10.31cm2)
Length (cm) Resistance (ohms) Resistance (ohms)

0.0 0.0 0.0

3.0 1.39 0.150

5.0 2.36 0.244

7.0 3.27 0.339

10.0 4.67 0.491

15.0 7.05 0.730

20.0 9.35 0.970

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SCI1501 PHYSICAL SCIENCE LAB Prof. Kenny L. Tapp
Lab #4: Electrical Resistance

PART II: Data Analysis

A. Plot a graph of your data. Since length is the independent variable, it goes across
the bottom while resistance goes along the side. Use good graphing techniques
and draw the “best fit” straight line through the point(s); most graphing programs
(Excel, Google Docs) will be able to plot the “best fit” line. Note that the line does
not have to go through every single point, but it must go through the origin.

Since you have acquired data for two different wires, plot both (including “best fit” lines)
on the same graph. Showing both lines will help in making comparisons between
the resistance of the two wires.

A proper scientific graph should be formatted with a title and axis labels that include units.
Your graph should have a title that clearly states where the data originated and
what the graph is showing, and the horizontal axis and vertical axis should be
labeled (in any case where data is measured, these axes must include units).
Graphs:

Graph For Thick Wire:

Length Vs Resistance for Thick Wire

1.2

0.97
1

0.8 0.73
Resistance(ohms)

0.6
0.491

0.4 0.339
0.244

0.2 0.15

0
0
0 5 10 15 20 25
Legth (cm)

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SCI1501 PHYSICAL SCIENCE LAB Prof. Kenny L. Tapp
Lab #4: Electrical Resistance

Graph for thin Wire:

RESISTANCE VS LENGTH FOR THIN WIRE

10 9.35

8 7.05
RESISTANCE(OHMS)

6
4.67

4 3.27
2.36

2 1.39

0
0
0 5 10 15 20 25
-2
LENGTH (CM))

Graph of both wires:

Resistance Vs length for both wires

9.35
10

8 7.05
Resistance(ohms)

6 4.67

4 3.27
2.36
1.39
2 0.73 0.97
0.15 0.244 0.339 0.491
0
0
0 5 10 15 20 25
Length(cm)

Resistance (ohms) for thin wire Resistance (ohms) for thick wire

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SCI1501 PHYSICAL SCIENCE LAB Prof. Kenny L. Tapp
Lab #4: Electrical Resistance

Answer Questions 2-6.

2. Decide if changing the length of the wire had any effect on the measured
resistance. Did you get the same value of resistance regardless of the
length?
Yes, by changing the value of the length, the value in resistance also
changes as L and resistance are directly proportional to each other,
so longer the length greater will be the resistance and vice versa.

3. Compare the two diameters of wire. What is the resistance of each when
compared to the same length – say 20.0 cm?
As for thin wire,
its area is 1.07 cm2 then its diameter will be1.16 cm
then according to the formula
its R=18.7ohm

For Thick wire:

Its area is10.31cm2 then its diameter is 3.62 cm
Then according to the formula
Its R=1.9ohm
This result shows the diameter and resistance are inversely
proportional to each other.

4. For the thin wire, use your graph to determine the resistance at 50.0 cm:
46.7 Ohms

5. For the thick wire, use your graph to determine the resistance at 50.0 cm:
4.86Ohms

6. The typical cable length of the Apple In-Ear Headphones is 106 cm. Using
your graph and the equation from the website, calculate the resistance:
As R= pL/A
As it is thin wire so let’s Area is 1.07cm2
p=1
Then R= 1*106/1.07=99.06 ohms

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SCI1501 PHYSICAL SCIENCE LAB Prof. Kenny L. Tapp
Lab #4: Electrical Resistance

PART III: SCIENTIFIC CONCLUSIONS

Answer the following questions:

1. Does the length of a wire influence its resistance?

The relationship between resistance and wire length is proportional. The
resistance of a thin wire is greater than the resistance of a thick wire because
a thin wire has fewer electrons to carry the current.

2. As the length of a wire increases, does its resistance increase or decrease? Is this
a direct or inverse relationship?
The relationship between length and resistance is directly proportional to
each other, with the increase in length of wire its resistance increases.
3. Does the diameter of a wire influence its resistance?
Yes, Resistance is inversely proportional to the square of the diameter of a wire.
If diameter is doubled then resistance is reduced by 4 times.

4. As the diameter of a wire increases, does its resistance increase or decrease? Is

this a direct or inverse relationship?
Resistance define is

so here resistance is inversely proportional to area other, with A = pi* r, r is radius

of conductor and two time of radius is diameter so resistance is inversely
proportional to diameter when diameter increase then resistance decreases
because when diameter big then electron is easy flow in conductor

5. Why don’t we use fat electrical wires to keep the resistance low?
We don’t use thick wires to keep the resistance low because the larger the
cross-sectional area, the lower the resistance since the electrons have a
larger area to flow through. This will continue to apply no matter how thick
the wire is.

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SCI1501 PHYSICAL SCIENCE LAB Prof. Kenny L. Tapp
Lab #4: Electrical Resistance

# END OF LAB #

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