YEAR 10 PHYSICS COURSEWORK: RESISTANCE

AIM: To study the factors which affect the resistance of a wire

I am to devise an experiment to study one of the factors, which affect the

resistance of a piece of a wire. I will need to identify all of the factors involved
but only need to investigate one of them. I need to conduct a safe, fair test, which
is accurate enough and has enough measurements to prove or disprove my
theory.

PLANNING
Resistance is a force that opposes the flow of an electric current around a circuit. This
then requires energy to push the charged particles around in the circuit. The circuit
itself can resist the flow of particles if the wires are either very thin or very long, for
example: The filament across an electric light bulb.

Here is a list of factors that affect the resistance of a wire:

• The material of the wire (what the wire is made out of)
• The length of the wire
• The thickness of the wire (the diameter of the wire)
• Temperature
• Resistors

FACTORS REASONS
Material and type of the wire This really depends on the atomic structure, seeing
that different materials will have different quantities
of free electrons. Therefore, the various conductors
used in electrical appliances have different values of
resistance. For example, if the wire is made of copper
then it conducts electricity better rather than lead.
The length of the wire The longer the wire means greater the resistance. The
reason for this is that the electrons have a greater
distance to travel, which provides a greater chance in
colliding with an atom- that in turn creates resistance.
The thickness/cross sectional area The thicker the wire means the lower its resistance.
As current flows, there is more area (more cross-
section) for the electrons to get through, so they are
freer to move, and are less likely to collide with an
atom.
Temperature The higher the temperature means greater the
resistance. This is because heat gives some of their
energy and causes atoms to vibrate; this will give a
greater chance for the electrons in the current to
collide with vibrating atoms.
Resistors They are used to limit current or reduce it and to
control voltage in a circuit, and act as a resistance,

Yr 10 Physics Coursework
 hence the name. A resistor has the resistance of one
ohm if a voltage of one volt is needed to push a
current of one amp through it.

The factor that I have decided to investigate is the length of wire that may affect
the resistance.

Resistance is measured in ohms. The symbol for an ohm is: .

George Ohm discovered that the E.M.F. (electromotive force) of a circuit is
directly proportional to the current flowing through the circuit. This means that if you
double the amount of voltage (potential difference), you double the amount of current.
He also discovered that a circuit sometimes resisted the flow of electricity. He called
this resistance. He then came up with a rule for working out the resistance of a circuit:

Therefore, to measure the

resistance I am simply going to use the formula above (Ohm’s Law), where I simply
divide the current by the voltage. I will use an ammeter and a voltmeter to get the
figures of the current and voltage, which will enable me to work out the resistance.

MY HYPOTHESIS

I predict that the longer the wire, the greater the resistance.

Resistance is a restraint to the flow of charge. For an electron, the journey from
terminal to terminal is not exactly a direct route. It is more or less a zigzag path
resulting from countless collisions with the fixed atoms within the wire. The electrons
are the ones that encounter resistance. While the electric potential difference (voltage)
found between the two terminals encourages the movement of charge, the resistance
discourages it.

The resistance of a wire depends on the number of collisions the electrons have with
the atoms of the material (wire), so if the wire is longer, there is a larger number of
atoms so there will be a larger number of collisions, which will increase the resistance
of the wire. Since there are atoms in a wire, so if it is longer this means there are more
atoms present. This increases the chances for electrons to collide, which in turn
increase the resistance. Moreover, the electrons will have compress more together in
order to move through the wire and to avoid these large number of atoms.

I predict there may be a direct relationship between the amount of resistance

encountered by the amount of charge and the length of wire that it must pass through;
here I mean by the fact that the length of wire is proportional to the amount of
resistance. The longer the wire the more atoms are placed together in the wire,

Yr 10 Physics Coursework
therefore make it harder for electrons to pass through in the circuit. If we double the
length of a wire, the number of atoms in the wire doubles as well. This increases the
number of collisions by two and energy is transferred twice, so twice the amount of
energy is required. This means the resistance is doubled. Hence, I would predict that
the graph would produce a straight line, where it would go through the origin- through
zero.

I know that as the current decreases, the voltage will increase, but no matter what
current I will choose, it will not affect the resistance- the resistance will always be the
same. As proved by Ohm’s law, the voltage and current are in proportion, therefore if
one changes so will the other- the resistance will not be involved.

As resistance occurs, this creates a result of collisions between the electrons and the
atoms of the wire. Therefore, it is likely to be more collisions in a longer wire, as
there are more atoms. More collisions mean more resistance. There are more atoms
present in a longer piece of wire and therefore slows down the electrons.

VARIABLES: -

INDEPENDANT: I will change the length of the wire, as this is what I am

investigating
DEPENDANT: Due to circumstances, the resistance will change only as the length of
wire changes
CONTROL: I plan to keep the power supply voltage the same throughout EACH
experiment (although I will change it for each repetition, first 0.4V, 0.6V, and then
O.8V)
The following aspects in which I have NO CONTROL over: Temperature, air
pressure

RANGE: For the range of length for the wire, I have decided to have a range from
5cm to 100cm, this is a wide range thus it will give better and more accurate results.

To help make our results more accurate I decided to collect results for 20 different
lengths of wire. I thought this would be a sufficient amount of data to collect and to
record. Another way in which we made our experiment more accurate was that we
repeated the experiment twice and took an average set of results from them. This
meant that any odd results were lost after averaging them out.

Yr 10 Physics Coursework
THE PRELIMINARY

To get an idea of what the experiment is like, we were allowed to do preliminary

work. This way we get to decide what the experiment would be like, what apparatus
we would be using, so that in the REAL experiment we would be more prepared,
more in control, and to see if we wanted to change anything. This could include the
type of wire (copper or nichrome) or maybe even change our decision on what factor
to test.

Doing the preliminary, I have been able to choose the right voltages for my real
experiment.
I was to find three suitable voltages to use in each experiment. The reason for that is
that I will be repeating the experiments twice, so in total I am going to do the
experiment three times, therefore I am going to use three different voltages that will
give me three resistances, from which I can then find the average.
The closer the three resistances are for each specific length of the wire, and then the
average I get will be more accurate; hence, my results will be more precise.

I found out that I had to choose three voltages that were below one as it made the wire
very hot when I went higher. Therefore, I chose 0.4 V, 0.6 V and 0.8 V. Doing the
preliminary helped me get used to the procedure and made me reassured that I wanted
to test the length of the wire for resistance, and not maybe a different factor. I was
unsure before, but doing the experiment, made me more confident in choosing this
particular factor.

This is the circuit I used to

make in the preliminary, and
decided to use the same one
in the real experiment as I got
a fair good sample of results
that looked as if it would
prove my hypothesis correct.

There was a variety of wires that I could have chosen form, bit the one I in the end
used was the NICHROME SGW 20 (used the same one as well in real experiment).

I did not have to make any improvements as I approved with the equipment we used,
the type of wire, and the range we chose was good as well. Despite I did not have to
make any alterations, the preliminary was still a good advantage, as it did help me
understand what to do in the real experiment and made me more organized so that I
completed the experiment just in time to have three repeats and able to record my
results.

HOW DO I MAKE IT A FAIR TEST?

Yr 10 Physics Coursework
 Investigating how the length of wire affects the resistance in a circuit means I would
have to keep all other factors constant if I were to make it a fair test; hence the only
aspect I would be only allowed to change is the length of wire. This means I must
keep the voltage of the power supply for each repeat including the initial one the same
and constant. I must be accurate as possible when I place the crocodile clips at a
specific measurement on the metre ruler, for example, it must be exactly on 5cm and
not on 5.2cm.

THE EXPERIMENT

Equipment:

• One metre ruler attached to a length of NICHROME SGW 20 wire

• A ruler to measure out 5cm each time you want to increase the length
• A power supply
• 2 crocodile clips
• Four connecting wires (two red and two black)
• An ammeter
• A voltmeter

Method

1. Collect all the equipment, and place on your working area

2. Set up the circuit as like in the diagram
3. Once the circuit is connected, switch the power supply on and set it on a
voltage of 0.4
4. Place the 100 cm of nichrome wire between the two crocodile clips attached
onto the two connecting wires to complete the circuit; beginning from 0cm to
5 cm.
5. Turn on the power supply and then record what the ammeter and voltmeter
reads in your table as below; do not work out the resistance yet, only after you
have finished the experiment, therefore this saves time.

0.4V 0.6V 0.8V (Ohm

s)
Le Curr Volt Resis Curr Le Curr Volt Resis Curr Avera
ngt ent age tance ent ngt ent age tance ent ge
h (am (vol (ohm (am h (am (vol (ohm (am Resis
(c ps) ts) s) ps) (c ps) ts) s) ps) tance
m) m)
5
10

6. After that, making sure to keep the voltage of the power supply constantly at
0.4V, remove the crocodile clip that is connected at the measurement of 5cm
to 10cm, and then record the measurements of voltmeter and the ammeter.

Yr 10 Physics Coursework
 7. Next, you once again increase the length of the wire by five, therefore you
move the crocodile clip from 10cm to now 15cm. Then record the results onto
the table.
8. Keep doing this procedure until you have reached to 100cm.
9. Once you have recorded the readings of the ammeter and the voltmeter of the
length of 100cm (1 metre), work out the resistance for all the results using
Ohm's law. Divide the current by the voltage, which will give a measurement
for the resistance.

OBTAINING THE EVIDENCE

RESULTS

Table showing the resistance produced in various lengths of Nichrome Wire

0.4V 0.6V 0.8V (Ohms)

Leng Curr Volt Resis Curr Volt Resis Curr Volt Resis Averag
th ent age tance ent age tance ent age tance e
(cm) (am (vol (ohm (am (vol (ohm (am (vol (ohm Resista
ps) ts) s) ps) ts) s) ps) ts) s) nce
5 0.9 0.17 0.19 1.18 0.25 0.21 1.45 0.28 0.19 0.20
10 0.83 0.22 0.27 0.96 0.27 0.28 1.33 0.35 0.26 0.27
15 0.65 0.28 0.43 0.84 0.4 0.48 1.15 0.4 0.35 0.42
20 0.63 0.3 0.48 0.69 0.35 0.51 0.98 0.43 0.44 0.47
25 0.59 0.33 0.56 0.68 0.4 0.59 0.94 0.48 0.51 0.55
30 0.5 0.34 0.68 0.66 0.41 0.62 0.82 0.49 0.60 0.63
35 0.49 0.35 0.71 0.64 0.45 0.70 0.77 0.52 0.68 0.70
40 0.44 0.39 0.89 0.61 0.48 0.79 0.73 0.56 0.77 0.81
45 0.43 0.41 0.95 0.59 0.5 0.85 0.7 0.6 0.86 0.89
50 0.41 0.42 1.02 0.56 0.53 0.95 0.66 0.63 0.95 0.98
55 0.39 0.43 1.10 0.5 0.52 1.04 0.54 0.64 1.19 1.11
60 0.38 0.44 1.16 0.48 0.54 1.13 0.53 0.65 1.23 1.17
65 0.34 0.45 1.32 0.46 0.56 1.22 0.52 0.66 1.27 1.27
70 0.32 0.46 1.44 0.44 0.57 1.30 0.51 0.67 1.31 1.35
75 0.3 0.47 1.57 0.42 0.58 1.38 0.49 0.69 1.41 1.45
80 0.29 0.48 1.66 0.41 0.59 1.44 0.48 0.71 1.48 1.52
85 0.26 0.49 1.88 0.39 0.62 1.59 0.46 0.72 1.57 1.68
90 0.24 0.5 2.08 0.38 0.63 1.66 0.44 0.73 1.66 1.80

Yr 10 Physics Coursework
95 0.22 0.51 2.32 0.36 0.64 1.78 0.43 0.75 1.74 1.95
100 0.21 0.52 2.48 0.34 0.66 1.94 0.42 0.77 1.83 2.08

The results I have obtained are related to the aim, the reason for that is that I
have recorded the length of wire and how much resistance it created; this will help me
prove my hypothesis; where the longer the wire, the more resistance occurs.
I have recorded the evidence in a table, and then displayed it on a graph (as I
have planned).
I managed to get all results with three repeats for every segment of length I
have decided to test within the time given in the lesson, including the clearing up of
the apparatus.
As you can see, I have an average for the resistance by adding the the three
separate resistances together and then dividing it by three. I have rounded the value of
resistance to two decimal places so it would be easier to plot on a graph paper, yet
accurate enough.
I have drawn a scatter diagram, as this will PROVE if there is any positive
correlation between my results, which in turn will add evidence towards my
prediction. The closer my results are to the line of best fit, then the stronger the
correlation is, which means there’s a strong link/relationship between the length of
wire and the resistance made.
The line graph will show how the relationship proceeds, if it is increasing or
decreasing, and whether it proves my hypothesis correct or incorrect.

ANALYSIS
From the table and scatter graph, you can see that the results are quite close-
especially in graph one, the lines for voltages 0.6 and 0.8 are relatively close together.

Not all the values are on the line of best fit, this shows they are not a set of perfect and
accurate values, however, they are very close to the line of best fit, which means they
are close to being accurate.

My first graph is simply illustrating the three different resistances for the three
different voltages for each length, and you can see that they were all rather close
together. Despite the last four results (drawn in a square box) with the 0.4V- that
appears to be more far out, away from the other last four points in the line with 0.6
and 0.8 V; however, many of the other results are close, which means they gave
moderately accurate resistances-which in turn is better evidence for my prediction.

The scatter graph clearly illustrates that as the length increases so does the amount of
resistance produced. You can tell this because the line is going from left to right and
there is no sudden decrease or drop.
It shows there is a definite positive correlation between the length of the wire
and the resistance produced. The points are very close to the line of best fit, which
emphasises that there is a STRONG positive correlation/relationship, thus acts as a
good piece of evidence to prove my hypothesis. Many of the points were near the line
and there were no ‘outrageous’ results, therefore, I do not think that my
readings/results were entirely worthless.

Yr 10 Physics Coursework
 There are seven points on the line of best fit out of twenty (circled in green),
seven of them are literally next to the line and six are simply slightly further away but
not too far.

In graph one and two, the fact that none of them have leveled off shows that there is
no certain limit, as long as the length of the wire increases so will the resistance- there
is no maximum value.

How reliable is the evidence?

Well we did use digital voltmeters and ammeters throughout the experiment.
This digital equipment gave a much more accurate set of results. On the other hand
the straight-line graph I produced did not have ALL the points on the line, (these
‘inaccuracies’ will be explained in the evaluation). Yet, the results were repeated
twice, and many of them are within the range of the line of best fit.

MY CONCLUSION

From the graphs and results I have analysed, I can now explain why my prediction is
true and can make a conclusion.

From my graphs that I have analysed, I conclude that the longer the wire, the higher
the resistance. The reason for this is you can see that I have produced a straight-line
graph that goes through the origin, passes though zero, which illustrates that the
resistance increases proportionally to the length of wire.

The reason that the longer the wire has greater resistance is because of the electrons
that flow through the wire. These electrons travel at a steady speed, when they have to
travel for longer in a long piece of wire, they have to slow down in order to use the
energy provided by the power supply effectively and efficiently. A fixed amount of
voltage is given, the longer the wire, the more that voltage/energy has to be used at a
smaller amount each time, it needs to be dissipated evenly, long enough until the
electrons can go around the circuit completely until they can collect more energy from
the power supply. (This is why the current differs as the length changes. The current
has to travel at a greater distance within a fixed amount of voltage).

While moving through the wire, the electrons need to squeeze together. This is
because there is not enough space for them to pass evenly through; as there is more
atoms present in the wire. The more the electrons have to collide together then the
higher the resistance. This is because it will take longer for them to travel if they keep
having interruptions during their ‘journey’. The longer the wire, the longer the
electrons have to stay squashed together and so the longer they take to pass through
the wire and thus higher the resistance.

My conclusion supports my prediction because it is something very similar to what I

have mentioned in my hypothesis. They both mention the fact of how the ‘collisions’
seem to be an important factor that affects the amount of resistance produced. The
more collisions, the more resistance, and the less number of collisions the less
resistance there is. In addition, I did mention the straight line that would be produced
in the graph, therefore that part of my hypothesis was correct as well.

Yr 10 Physics Coursework
EVALUATION
Overall, I believe that my experiment went fairly well, my partner and I gradually
became more efficient and worked faster as we got more used to the experiment and
what we had to do.
It does answer my question to this whole experiment, ‘Does the length of a wire affect
the resistance?’ and the answer to that is yes, it does.

My results are reliable enough; the experiment was valid, as it did prove my
hypothesis, however not as strong as I would have wanted, as there were several
anomalies. All of them are circled in pencil on the graph. I believe that the graph(s)
were a substantial evidence to prove my hypothesis, however with a bit more
accuracy I reckon it would have made even stronger evidence that would have backed
my prediction.

EXPLAINING THE ANOMALIES

In the first graph- ‘The resistances of a wire using three different voltages’: -

I believe the reason why there is a wide gap towards the end of the line for the 0.4V
from the other four is that it was the first voltage we tested, and as it was our first
experiment, we may have been slightly nervous, and perhaps we did not notice the
voltage change whilst we were not looking. I have to admit that sometimes when we
switched to a different length, suddenly the voltage would change by a difference of
one or two – however luckily, I soon noticed this before it was too late.

Therefore, before we had gone too far in recording any further results, my partner and
I went back to the length that we thought gave a slight peculiar voltage or current,
which did not quite fit with the pattern that we began to see in the beginning of our
experiment. We noticed that as the voltage increased the current decreased (something
of which I did mention in my hypothesis). On the other hand, we were not entirely
sure WHEN the voltage changed, so perhaps this could provide an explanation to the
wide gap. I only went to the length that gave a decrease in voltage, but I did not think
to check the ones that had TOO much of an increase of the voltage.

Reasons as to the cause of the anomalies in the scatter graph: -

• The wire was not completely straight as I would have liked, you can see some
curves within the wire, which may have been an unfair disadvantage for the
electrons, it could have created a slight obstruction and made it a bit harder for
them to travel
• Inaccuracies to our results could have been caused when clipping the crocodile
clip onto the length of wire on the metre ruler. We may have misjudged a
measurement for a particular length of wire, which would have given an
inaccurate resistance as the voltage and current would have been a tad smaller or

Yr 10 Physics Coursework
 larger, depending on whether we increased or decreased the measurement of the
wire
• The connecting wires gave some resistance, which added to the resistance of the
wire. This may have caused slight changes in the results
• Perhaps I did not read the voltmeter or/and the ammeter correctly, as it often
fluctuated, therefore in order to be time-efficient I had to choose one of the
reading that came up.
• The wires might have been over-heated. The temperature of the wire will affect
the resistance. Hotter wires will have a higher resistance than cold wires, as I have
stated this in my factor list in the grid; at the beginning. If the temperature did get
too high, it would have decreased the current that would have increased the
resistance.
• Similarly, the wire could have had some impurities in it, varying the resistivity, by
increasing or decreasing the resistance. Any of the remaining factors affecting
resistance could have added to the resistance when measuring- temperature, cross-
section and the thickness, all leading to unreliable readings.

IMPROVEMENTS

The improvements I would want to make are ones that will cause fewer anomalies in
the future, therefore I would want: -

• A wire that is very straight- without any curves and bumps

• Further procedures like repeating the experiment for a fourth time or a fifth
with a wider range of voltages could improve the accuracy of the results.
• Maybe obtaining more time so we can wait for a while to allow the
ammeter/voltmeter to settle down for a much more firm reading
• Turn off the power supply for a minute or two when changing the length, and
then turn it back on. This way, it will stop the wire from heating too much,
which will affect the results less.
• In addition, it would be interesting to see the resistance over different lengths
of insulated wire. If we investigated with insulated wire, this will reduce the
heat energy given out by collisions; therefore reduce the resistance, thus
makes the experiment fairer.
• Instead of choosing the length of wire in intervals of every 5cm, we could
record smaller intervals of length like every 2 or 3cm. This would make our
graph more accurate as it would have more points plotted on it.
• Maybe clean the wire before using it to remove any impurities

TESTING ANOTHER FACTOR

If I had to test another factor, I would choose to experiment with the diameter of the
wire (thickness). My prediction would be that as the diameter increases, the resistance
will decrease (the reason for this is explained in the factor list in the grid).

Apparatus:

• 20cm Nichrome Wires with diameters of 0.25mm to 2mm, increasing by every

0.5mm an interval of 0.5mm)

Yr 10 Physics Coursework
 • A power supply
• 2 crocodile clips
• Four connecting wires (two red and two black)
• An ammeter
• A voltmeter

Method

1. Collect the apparatus and lay them out on your working area/desk
2. Set the apparatus up as shown below in the diagram (next page)

3. Set the power pack on a voltage of 0.4V first.

4. Place the 20cm nichrome wire with a thickness/diameter of 0.25mm between the
two crocodile clips to complete the circuit.
5. Record your results of the ammeter and voltage on a table as shown below (but
work out the resistance after you have done the experiment, as it will save time.

0.4V 0.6V 0.8V (Ohm

s)
Dia Curr Volt Resis Curr Volt Resis Curr Volt Resis Avera
met ent age tance ent age tance ent age tance ge
er (am (vol (ohm (am (vol (ohm (am (vol (ohm Resis
(mm ps) ts) s) ps) ts) s) ps) ts) s) tance
)
0.25
0.3

6. Once you have finished your recording, replace the 0.25mm (diameter)
nichrome wire with the wire that has a thickness of 0.3mm. Remember to keep
the voltage the same.
7. Record what both the ammeter and voltmeter say.
8. And then repeat the process with the different diameters

(Work out the resistance for all your results by using Ohms law.)

Yr 10 Physics Coursework
 9. After recording the results on the table, you present it on a scatter graph

If there is a straight line, where many of the points are on the line of best fit then this
would prove my hypothesis for this particular factor correct, if it is going from left to
right this would show a positive correlation, which would add more evidence. This is
how I would test this factor.

Yr 10 Physics Coursework