Question

A student uses a length of wire as a resistor in an electric circuit. He discovered that the resistance of the wire is too small to be certain of making a resistor of higher value. What type of piece of wire is used?

(a) Alloy Wire
(b) Superconductor Wire
(c) Insulated Wire
(d) Potentiometer Wire

Answer 1

To make a higher resistance resistor, the student should use an alloy wire, as alloys have higher resistivity than pure metals.OPTION A.

Step-by-step explanation:

To create a resistor with a higher resistance value, the student should use an alloy wire. Alloys have greater resistivity than pure metals and are commonly used for making resistors. Superconductor wires would not be suitable, as they have no resistance at low temperatures. An insulated wire simply refers to any wire that has been coated with an insulating material, and it does not inherently increase resistance. A potentiometer wire, while used to adjust resistance, is not in itself a higher resistance wire.

Factors affecting the resistance of a wire include its material (resistivity), length, and cross-sectional area. To increase resistance, a material with higher resistivity is used or the wire's length is increased, or its cross-sectional area is decreased. For applications requiring precision and stability across temperature changes, materials like nichrome are often selected due to their consistent resistance levels over a range of temperatures.