Why does temperature effect the resistance of conductors?

The resistance of a conductor increases with temperature. This is because as the temperature increases the atomic lattice of the conductor has more energy so begins to vibrate more. This means it is more likely for any electrons travelling within the conductor to interact with atoms thus increasing its resistance. Temperature is one of the 4 factors that effect resistance, the other being the length of the wire, the cross sectional area of the wire and the material of which the wire is made up of.

PE
Answered by Peter E. Physics tutor

36256 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

If a vehicle A, 1000kg moving at 5m/s collides with vehicle B, 750kg, moving in the opposite direction at 8m/s assuming no rebound what is the velocity of the vehicles after collision.


A coil is connected to an analogue centre zero ammeter. A magnet is dropped (North pole first) so that it falls vertically and completely through the coil. What would be observe on the ammeter?


The LHC accelerates protons to a speed of 0.999999991c around a 27km ring. Due to relativistic effects, their mass increases. Given that the magnetic fields used are 8T, calculate this mass. What is the total energy of an LHC beam containing 3e14 protons?


What's the moment of a force and why would I need to understand it?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning