Final answer:
Resistance is the term that refers to a relative measure of the opposition to current flow in a cable, calculated using the material's resistivity, the cable's length, and cross-sectional area. A wire of double the diameter will have one-fourth the resistance of a wire with the same length and material but a smaller diameter.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that refers to a relative measure of the resistance in a cable is known as resistance. This is a measure of how difficult it is for electricity to flow through a wire or component. It involves factors such as the material's resistivity, the cable's length, and its cross-sectional area. The resistance of a cylindrical conductor (like a cable) can be calculated using the formula R = ρL/A, where ρ is the resistivity, L is the length, and A is the cross-sectional area of the conductor.
When considering wires of the same material and length, a wire with double the diameter will have a cross-sectional area four times larger (since area is proportional to the square of the diameter), thus its resistance will be one-fourth that of the wire with the original diameter, assuming the resistivity and length remain constant. It's important to note that resistance is quantity that can be influenced by various factors and can range over many orders of magnitude depending on the materials and circumstances.