GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

1.-LENGT. - The longer, the greater resistance. Ex. Longer wires have greater resistance
than steel.

2.- DIAMETER. - Area of cross section – the larger the lower. Smaller diameter wires
have greater resistance

3. TEMPERATURE. - (metals: higher temperature = higher resistance because the

vibration of the metal lattice impedes the drift of the electrons, semiconductors: like
thermistors, resistance decreases with temperature)
ORAL PRESENTATION

4.- MATERIAL. - What it’s made of. Metals are good conductors so have lower
resistance than an insulator of the same dimensions. Ex. Copper has lower resistance than
steel. Variable resistors or potentiometers control the length of wire we introduce into a
circuit the volume control on a hi-fi

The best wire for the job:

All electrical engineers must know about wires and think about using
the right design and material for the task at hand. Here are the factors
for determining wire design:

-Durability (ability to flex repeatedly or be subject to crushing weights)

-Voltage and Current level
-Suspension strength (ability to hold its own weight over long spans
between support)
-Underground or underwater
-Temperature of operation (like superconducting wire)
-Cost

Solid Wire:
Advantages:
Less surface area to corrode
Can be rigid and strong
Disadvantages:
Not good if flexed repeatedly, can break if flexed in the same spot
Not practical for high voltage

Stranded Wire:

Above: Stranded speaker wire found in every household

Below: Specialized use super-thick stranded copper wire

-Stranded wire - lots of smaller wires in parallel, can be twisted

together
Advantages:
Great conductor for its size
Disadvantages:
You may think this would be good for high frequency use because it
has lots of surface area on all the little strands of wire, however it is
worse than solid wire because the strands touch each other, shorting,
and therefore the wire acts as one larger wire, and it has lots of air
spaces which makes for more resistance for the size

Braided Wire:
Advantages:
-Great for durability compared with solid wire
-Better conductivity than solid wire (lots of surface area)
-Can act as an electromagnetic shield in noise-reduction wires
-The more strands in the wire, the more bendable and strong it is, but it
costs more

Special Wires:

Solid with braided exterior or some combination of this, these wires are
used for all kinds of special applications.

Coax cable is used for radio or cable television transmission because

in its design braided and foil conductors on the outside keep
frequencies trapped inside. The shielding prevents stray
electromagnetic energy from tainting the area around sensitive
receivers.