Length of Wire and Resistance

Most recent answer: 10/22/2007

Q:
How does the length of wires affect the resistance?
- mary
china
A:
The resistance of a wire is given by R=rho*L/A, where R is the resistance, L is the length, A is the cross-sectional area, and rho is a number called the resistivity, which is a property of the kind of material the conducting part of the wire is made out of (say, copper, aluminum, or some other metal -- these will all have their own values of rho).

Tom

(published on 10/22/2007)