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Electricity Science Fair Project

Wire Temperature and Electrical Resistance

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Wire Temperature and Electrical Resistance | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does a hot wire resist electricity more than a cold one? You wind copper wire around a PVC pipe and connect it to batteries and an ammeter (a tool that measures current). As current flows, the wire heats up. You measure the temperature with an infrared thermometer every 10°C. At each step you also measure the resistance with an ohm meter. The results show a clear pattern. As the wire gets hotter, its resistance rises and the current drops.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that as the temperature of a wire increases, the resistance of the wire will also increase and therefore the conductivity of the wire will fall.

Method & Materials

You will wind a 5-meter wire around a PVC pipe, measure the resistance of the wire, connect the wire to a circuit with 3 batteries, measure the current and resistance of the wire as the temperature increases, and disconnect the wire from the circuit.
You will need 5 meters of varnish insulated copper wire, a PVC pipe, three 1.5V batteries, 3 jumper wires, an ohm meter, an ammeter, a paper cutter, an infrared thermometer, and insulation tape.

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Results

The results of the experiment showed that as the temperature of the wire increased, the resistance of the wire also increased but the current flowing in the wire fell. This proved the hypothesis to be true.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how temperature affects the resistance of a wire and how it affects the flow of electricity.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include repeating the experiment using different wire sizes and using aluminum wire instead.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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