Resistance of a wire

Resistance of a wire
Publication Date: January, 2015
Type of Resource: Practical activity/investigation

These downloadable resources investigate the electrical resistance of wire.

The resources detail a student practical activity that looks at the factors that determine electrical resistance in a wire.

The independent variables of length and cross-sectional area are investigated for nichrome wire.

Graphs can be drawn to confirm the relationship of these variables to the resistance, and the concept of resistivity is introduced and explained.

Sample answers are provided along with a sample Excel spreadsheet of data tables and graphs.

Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S9U04 (Year 9)

Australian Curriculum:
  • Year 9 > Science Inquiry Skills > Communicating > Communicate scientific ideas and information for a particular purpose,... > ACSIS174
  • Year 9 > Science Inquiry Skills > Processing and analysing data and information > Analyse patterns and trends in data, including describing relationships between... > ACSIS169
  • Year 9 > Science Inquiry Skills > Processing and analysing data and information > Use knowledge of scientific concepts to draw conclusions that are consistent... > ACSIS170
  • Year 9 > Science Understanding > Physical Sciences > Energy transfer through different mediums can be explained using wave and... > ACSSU182