Year 11 Physics AT2: Depth Study Scientific Report

Name: William Liu Class: 11PHYD1

Highlight the investigation you have chosen to address:

Option 1: Determining the refractive index of water.
Option 2: Investigating impulse and momentum in collisions.
Option 3: Determining the resistivity of various materials.

Background knowledge and introduction:

Resistivity is a measure, in ohm-metres, of how resistant a material itself is to

electrical flow. It is a constant that is based off the electrical resistance of a wire
made of that material, with unit length and unit cross-sectional area (Britannica,
2018).
Resistance is a measure of how hard it is for current to flow through an object
(Pearson, 2018, p. 374). Its relationship with current, which is the rate of flow of
electrical charge through a point in a circuit, and voltage, which is the difference in
electric potential between two points, is summarised in Ohm’s law: V=IR, where V is
voltage in volts, I is current in amps, and R is resistance in ohms. This can be
rearranged to give the formula R=V/I – therefore, resistance can be determined by
the ratio between voltage and current.
The relationship of resistance
with the size of a wire is similar to
that of the resistance of a pipe to
fluid flow. (Lumen Learning, n.d.) A
charge encounters more resistance
the greater length it has to travel,
and thus resistance is proportional
to a wire’s length. Conversely, more
charge can flow through a wire with
greater area, which means
Figure 1: Diagram showing the area, length and
resistance is inversely proportional to
resistivity of a wire. (Lumen Learning, n.d.)
the cross-sectional area of a wire
(Physics Classroom, 2022).
Resistivity can be determined with the formula ρ=RA/L, where ρ is resistivity in
ohm-metres, R is resistance in ohms, A is area in metres squared, and L is length in
metres. Rewritten as R=ρL/A, this follows from the proportionality of resistance to
length, and the inverse proportionality of resistance to cross-sectional area.
This experiment sought to measure the resistivity of nichrome. Through creating a
circuit with a nichrome wire of measured length and cross-sectional area, and
placing an ammeter in series, and a voltmeter in parallel, sufficient information is
gained to plot resistance against length over area, and thus determine the resistivity
of nichrome.

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Aim:

To determine the resistivity of nichrome through linear regression, by plotting its

resistance against its length over area, over several trials using varying lengths of
wire.

Hypothesis:

That the experimental value for the resistivity of nichrome will fall within the
theoretical range of 1.10 × 10!" Ω𝑚 to 1.50 × 10!" Ω𝑚 (Kwan, 2007).

Method and Diagram:

Diagram:

Figure 2: Diagram showing experimental setup.

Procedure:
1. A nichrome wire’s diameter was recorded from its packaging label and
confirmed using a micrometer at several points, and its cross-sectional area
calculated.
2. A 1 meter wooden ruler with steel nails at its ends had the nichrome wire
attached to both ends, such that the wire went across the whole length of the
ruler, next to the ruler’s markings.
3. The circuit was set up according to Figure 1, with the ammeter in series and
the voltmeter in parallel.
4. The crocodile clips on the nichrome wire were placed at the 0cm and 20cm
marks. The length of the wire (20cm) was recorded.

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5. The ammeter and voltmeter were set to the highest settings.
6. The power pack was set to 2V and turned on.
7. The ammeter and voltmeter settings were adjusted to give the most accurate
readings.
8. The current and voltage were recorded, and the resistance calculated.
9. Steps 4 to 8 were repeated with wire lengths 40cm, 60cm, 80cm and 100cm.
10. Resistance was plotted against length over area with a calculator, using the
data from the five trials, and the gradient and coefficient of determinant were
calculated.

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Photo evidence:

Figure 3: Photo evidence showing student ID card and experimental setup

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Results:

Figure 4: Graph showing Resistance vs Length/Area of Wire.

Using a linear regression calculator, the results were:

Equation of line of best fit: 𝑦 = 1.302 × 10!" x + 0.0988
Resistivity: 𝜌 = 1.302 × 10!" Ω𝑚
Coefficient of determination: 𝑅# = 0.9998

Calculation or estimation of uncertainties and how they affect accuracy.

Absolute uncertainty for length (m) = 0.0005

Absolute uncertainty for diameter (m) = 0.0000005
Absolute uncertainty for radius (m) = 0.00000025
Fractional uncertainty for radius = 0.000894454
Fractional uncertainty for area = 0.001788909
Absolute uncertainty for area = 4.39038 ⋅ 10!$%

Fractional uncertainty for current (amps) = 0.05

Fractional uncertainty for voltage (volts) = 0.05
Fractional uncertainty for resistance (ohms) = 0.1

Fractional uncertainty for length = 0.0025 ⋅ k, where k = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Fractional uncertainty for length/area = 0.0025 ⋅ k + 0.001788909

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Figure 5: Graph of Resistance vs Length/Area with error bars added.

Calculating the lines of best fit for the higher and lower ranges of error:

Lower: y = 0.00000117142x + 0.0889529

Higher: y = 0.00000143174x + 0.10872

Thus the lower range for resistivity is 𝜌 = 1.117142 × 10!" Ω𝑚, and the higher
range is 𝜌 = 1.43174 × 10!" Ω𝑚. These ranges are within the theoretical range for
the resistivity of nichrome, which further supports the accuracy of this experiment.

However, these calculations do not account for the error found in the x value, which
are significant – they only account for the error in y values. Thus, the values are not
entirely accurate as a representation of the range.

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Discussion + answers to discussion questions

Q1) The x-axis should have the fraction length over area (L/A) plotted on it, and the
y-axis should have resistance (R) plotted on it. Substituting into y = mx+b, that y = R,
x = L/A and b = 0, this gives m = ρ; thus, the resulting line’s gradient is the wire’s
resistivity (ρ).

Q2) The literature value for resistivity of nichrome is 1.10 × 10!" Ω𝑚 to

1.50 × 10!" Ω𝑚. The experimental value was 1.302 × 10!" Ω𝑚, which lies within the
range provided in the literature value. Therefore, there is no discrepancy in the
results compared to the literature value. As noted in the section on errors, the error
range for resistivity of nichrome was also completely within the theoretical range.

However, there are several factors that may have contributed to deviation from the
true value. For example, the wire on the ruler was not completely straight, but was
slightly twisted, which meant that the true length of wire was longer than measured.
This may not have affected the reliability of results, as the deviation in wire length
may have been at a constant proportion yet may have resulted in a higher
experimental value for resistivity. Further, factors such as the resistance at contact
points and in the lead wires may have also caused discrepancies.

Q3) The y-intercept did not pass through zero. In perfect conditions, the line
generated by linear regression would pass through zero as in the formula R=ρL/A,
setting L/A to zero means that R should also be zero. This can be interpreted as the
resistance of a wire of length zero being zero. However, the line’s y-intercept was
0.0988, which was significantly greater than zero.

The R^2 value was very high (0.9998), and thus it is expected that there is some
constant source of error causing the y-intercept to not pass through zero. Some
reasons may include:

- The resistance at contact points between the lead wires and instruments, and
the resistance of the lead wires themselves.
- Offsets or calibration errors in the ammeter and the voltmeter.

Q4) The validity of this investigation was ensured by keeping several variables
constant. For example, by testing the wire’s diameter with a micrometer at several
points, and by making sure wire wasn’t crushed when the micrometer was applied,
this ensured that the cross-sectional area of the wire was constant throughout, thus
keeping the use of the formula R=ρL/A valid.

The voltage from the power source was also kept constant at 2V, as otherwise the
temperature of the wire could fluctuate, causing changes to its resistivity, thus
making the experiment invalid.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, this experiment measured the resistivity of nichrome using the formula
R=ρL/A. Resistance of a nichrome wire, which was calculated with the formula
R=V/I, was plotted against the length over area of the wire, over varying lengths of
wire. Resistivity was found by calculating the slope of the line of best fit using linear
regression. This experiment thus succeeded in its aim of determining the resistivity
of nichrome. The experimental result obtained for nichrome’s resistivity was
1.302 × 10!" Ω𝑚, which was within the theoretical range of 1.10 × 10!" Ω𝑚 to
1.50 × 10!" Ω𝑚; however, thus making the experiment accurate. The experiment
was reliable as evidenced by the high coefficient of determination of 0.9998, and
valid as it did directly measure the resistivity of nichrome.

References

Kwan, H. (2007). Resistivity of nichrome. Hypertextbook.com.

https://hypertextbook.com/facts/2007/HarveyKwan.shtml

Britannica. (2018). Resistivity. In Encyclopædia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/science/resistivity

Bail, D. (2018). Pearson physics 11 New South Wales Skills and assessment.
Pearson.

Physics Classroom. (2022). Resistance. Physicsclassroom.com.

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circuits/Lesson-3/Resistance

Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Resistance and Resistivity | Physics.

Courses.lumenlearning.com. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-
physics/chapter/20-3-resistance-and-resistivity/

P2 D) Length of Wire & Resistance – AQA Physics. (n.d.). Elevise.

https://www.elevise.co.uk/gapp2d.html

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