8/27/2014 Temperature Coefficient of Resistance

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Resistance: Temperature
Coefficient
Since the electrical resistance of a conductor such as a copper wire is dependent
upon collisional proccesses within the wire, the resistance could be expected to
increase with temperature since there will be more collisions. An intuitive approach
to temperature dependence leads one to expect a fractional change in resistance
which is proportional to the temperature change:
Or, expressed in terms of the resistance at some standard temperature from a
reference table:
Calculation Low temperature resistivity Superconductivity
Index
DC
Circuits
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Low Temperature Resistivity
The temperature dependence of resistivity at temperatures around room
temperature is characterized by a linear increase with temperature. Microscopic
examination of the conductivity shows it to be proportional to the mean free path
between collisions (d), and for temperatures above about 15 K, d is limited by
thermal vibrations of the atoms. The general dependence is summarized in the
proportionalities:
Index
Reference
Rohlf
Ch 15
8/27/2014 Temperature Coefficient of Resistance
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At extremely low temperatures, the mean free path is dominated by impurities or
defects in the material and becomes almost constant with temperature. With
sufficient purity, some metals exhibit a transition to a superconducting state.
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Resistor Temperature Dependence
Resistance = R(initial)[1+ alpha (T(final) -
T(initial)]
If a resistor of initial value = 1 ohms
at initial temperature = 89.99996745C
is heated to temperature = 90 C
and has a temperature coefficient = .0004 x 10^ 90 / C
then the resistance will be = 131.2 ohms
Enter data and then click on the quantity you wish to calculate in the active formula
above. Unspecified parameters will default to values typical of copper at 20 C
with initial resistance 100 ohms. Upon changes, the values will not be forced to be
consistent until you click on the quantity you wish to calculate.
Index
DC
Circuits
8/27/2014 Temperature Coefficient of Resistance
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Table of temperature coefficients
Discussion
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