Final answer:
The ratio of the resistivities of two wires with equal resistance but differing dimensions is 1/4. This means that the resistivity of the first material is one fourth the resistivity of the second material.
Step-by-step explanation:
We need to find the ratio of the resistivities of two different materials. Given that the resistance of both wires is the same, we can use the formula for resistance of a cylindrical conductor, which is R = ρ(L/A) where R is resistance, ρ is resistivity, L is the length of the wire, and A is the cross-sectional area.
For the first wire (Material 1), let's assume a length of L and a radius of r. For the second wire (Material 2), the length is L/2 and the radius is 2r. The area is given by πr², so the cross-sectional area for the first wire is πr² and for the second wire is π(2r)².
Setting the resistances equal to each other, we have:
ρ₁(L/πr²) = ρ₂((L/2)/(π(2r)²)) Simplify to find the ratio of the resistivities (ρ₁/ρ₂) = 1/4. Thus, the resistivity of Material 1 is one fourth the resistivity of Material 2.