Resistance

Chap. 3
ECET 201
Circuits I
 Resistance
Theelectrical resistanceof anelectrical
elementis the opposition to the passage
of anelectric currentthrough that
element.
An object of uniform cross section has a
resistance proportional to
itsresistivityand length and inversely
proportional to its cross-sectional area. All
materials show some resistance, except
forsuperconductors, which have a
resistance of zero.
Resistance has the units of ohms ()
 Resistance of any material is due to
four factors:
1. Material: material is defined by a factor called
resistivity, so the larger the resistivity, the greater
the resistance to setting up a flow charge
2. Length: the longer the path through which the
free electron must pass, the greater the resistance
factor
3. Cross-sectional area: Free electrons pass
easily through conductors with larger cross-sectional
area
4. Temperature of the material: the higher the
temperature, the greater the internal vibration and
motion of the components, so the more difficult it is
for free electrons to find path through the material
 This equation is
only valid at room
Resistivity is represented by temperature =
the Greek letter rho
68 F
Its value at a temp of 20C (room temp
= 68 F
Factors that will affect the resistance of
a conductor
 Circular Mils (CM)
The mil is a very small unit of measurement of
length. 1000 mils = 1 inch or 1 mil = 1/1000 of
an inch.
A wire with a diameter of 1 mil has an area of 1
CM

Verifying equation:
A wire with a diameter of 2 mils has a total area of 4
CM and a wire with a diameter of 3 mils has a
total area of 9 CM

 Converting square mils to circular mils

A= = 1 CM

So,

To find the area of a wire in circular mils

convert diameter to mils
1/8 in = 0.125 in = 125 mils

= (125 mils)^2 =
15,625 CM
 Example 3.1
What is the resistance of a 100 ft length of
copper wire with a diameter of 0.020 in at
20C?
 Example 3.2 pg 63
An undetermined number of feet of wire have been
used from the carton of figure 3.6. find the length
of the remaining copper wire if it has a diameter
of 1/16 in and a resistance of 0.5
 Example 3.3 pg 64
What is the resistance of a copper bus-bar
as used in the power distribution panel of
a high-rise office building with the
dimensions indicated
 3.3 wire tables

Main purpose of the Wire table:

Standardize the size of wire produced
by manufacturer.
Wire tables include:
Cross-sectional area in circular mils
Diameter in mils
Ohms per 1000 feet at 20C
Weight per 1000 feet
 The American Wire Gage (AWG)
American wire gauge(AWG), is also known
as theBrown & Sharpewire gauge
its astandardizedwire gaugesystem used
since 1857 predominantly in the United States
and Canada for the diameters of round, solid,
nonferrous,electricallyconductingwire.
The cross-sectional area of each gauge is an
important factor for determining itscurrent-
carrying capacity.
AWG: In the American Wire Gauge (AWG),
diameters can be calculated by applying the
formula D(AWG)=.00592((36-AWG)/39)inch
See AWG table on page 65
 Example 3.4 page 66
Find the resistance of 650 ft of #8 copper
wire (T = 20C)

Example 3.5
What is the diameter in inches of a #12
cooper wire?
 Example 3.6 page 66
For the system of fig. 3.9 the total resistance
of each power line cannot exceed 0.025
and the maximum current to be drawn by
the load is 95A. What gage wire should be
used?
Remember that:
 Section 3.6 Types of Resistors
Fixedresistoris used to reduce the
flow of electricity. It is set at a
specific value and cannot be
changed.
Variable resistoris able to manage
flows at a specific level and below.
 Types of Resistors
Fixed resistors

Variable resistors
 There are two kinds
offixedresistors
1. Carbonresistors
2. Film resistor

Film resistorscan be broken down into

Thick film,
Thin film: are higher than the thick film
Carbon film
and Metal film
Metal film are axial leaded
like the carbon film resistor,
but are usually coated with
nickel chromium.
 Carbon filmfixed resistors
Are designed for general use and are
fairly cheap to produce and purchase.
It is constructed by depositing a thin layer
of resistive material on a ceramic rod.
Theyare used in high power and high
temperature applications. They are
created by depositing the carbon film unto
a substrate and then cutting a helix into
the film to create the desired resistance.
 Variable resistors
Allow the circuit to be made more or
less sensitive (they can be turned up
or down - reducing or increasing
resistance)
Can be turned clockwise or
anticlockwise, altering the value of
the resistance.
 Variable Resistors
Variable resistors have a terminal resistance
that can be varied by turning a dial, knob,
screw etc.
They can have two or three terminals
a. If a 2 or 3 terminal device is used as a
variable resistor, it is referred as a rheostat
b.If a 3 terminal device is used for controlling
potential levels (voltage) it is called
Potentiometer
Potentiometer rheostat
connections Symbol
Symbol connections
 Potentiometer

a) External view

b) Internal view
c) Carbon element
 Potentiometer
Is a resistor with an element called the "wiper" that
slides along the resistive element as the shaft is
turned.
On the "pot" at the right, when the shaft is all the way
counter-clockwise, there is no resistance between
points A and B, and 1 meg of resistance between B
and C.
When it is all the way clockwise, there is no resistance
between B and C, and one meg of resistance between
A and B.
When it is somewhere in between, the resistance
between A and B + the resistance between B and C =
1 meg.
 Potentiometer & it uses
The Potentiometeris essentially a voltage
divider used for measuringelectric potential
(voltage)
Uses:
1.Adjust the level of analog signals or control
electrical devices such as volume controls on
audio equipment
2.Control inputs for electronic circuits. For
example, a lightdimmer
 Three things to consider
when selecting a resistor
The value of the resistor: measured in
Ohms
Tolerance: indicates the upper and lower
bounds of actual performance and its measure
in plus or minus percentage.
(For example, a tolerance of 10 percent means
that the resistor performs within a 10 percent
range of the resistance value listed in the
specifications.)
Power rating.
 3.7 Color coding & Standard resistor
values
Carbon-composition and carbon film resistors are
too small to have the resistance value printed on
their housings. Therefore, bands of color are
used to represent the resistance value.

The first and second band represent the

numerical value of the resistor, and the color of
the third band specify the power-of-ten multiplier.
The color bands are always read from left to right
starting with the side that has a band closer to
the edge.
Tolerance in color coding resistors

For carbon-composition and carbon

film resistors, the common
tolerances are 5%, 10%, and 20%,
indicating that the actual value of the
resistor can vary from the nominal
value by 5%, 10% and 20%.
Color coding table pg.77, & How to
memorize it
Black Bears Raid Our
Yellow Grain, Blue
Violets Grow Wild

BB ROY from Great

Britain had a Very Good
Wife
Color coding resistor value
Temperature Coefficient
Brown = 100 ppm
Red = 50 ppm
Orange = 15 ppm
Yellow = 25 ppm
 Example 3.12 pg 78

Find the value of resistor

 Example 3.12 pg 78

Find the value of resistor

Solution: the fist color is gray = 8,
second color is red = 2. the third
color is gold which is the multiplier of
0.1
(0.1)(82) = 8.2
 Example 3.12 pg 78

Find the value of resistor

Solution: the fist color is gray = 8,
second color is red = 2. the third
color is gold which is the multiplier of
0.1
(0.1)(82) = 8.2
The forth band is silver = tolerance of
10%
 In class problem
What is the value of a resistor
with bands ofyellow, violet, red,
and gold? Refer to table on page 77 on
your book.
 In class problem
What is the value of a resistor
with bands ofyellow, violet, red,
and gold? Refer to table on page 77 on
your book.
Solution:
first digit (yellow = 4), second digit
(violet = 7), followed by (red = 2) ,
so add two zeros:
 In class problem
What is the value of a resistor with
bands ofyellow, violet, red, and
gold? Refer to table on page 77 on your book.
Solution:
will have first digit (yellow = 4), second
digit (violet = 7), followed by (red = 2) ,
so add two zeros:
Resistor = 4,700ohms. Gold signifies that the
tolerance is 5%, so the real resistance could
lie anywhere between 4,465 and 4,935 ohms.
 3.9 Ohmmeters

The Ohmmeter is an instrument used to:

1.Measure the resistance of individual
combined elements
2.Detect open-circuit (high-resistance) and
short-circuit (low-resistance) situation
3.Check the continuity of network
connections and identify wires of a
multilead cable
4.Test some semiconductor (electronic)
devices.
 Measuring the resistance of a single
element

Checking the continuity of a connection

 Homework pg. 87

Problem # 2, 5, 6, 11, 16, 36 & 37