What is Copper wire: Definition and 96 Discussions

Copper has been used in electrical wiring since the invention of the electromagnet and the telegraph in the 1820s. The invention of the telephone in 1876 created further demand for copper wire as an electrical conductor.Copper is the electrical conductor in many categories of electrical wiring. Copper wire is used in power generation, power transmission, power distribution, telecommunications, electronics circuitry, and countless types of electrical equipment. Copper and its alloys are also used to make electrical contacts. Electrical wiring in buildings is the most important market for the copper industry. Roughly half of all copper mined is used to manufacture electrical wire and cable conductors.

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  1. leVanw

    Conductor Cross Section: Small vs Large Copper Wire in 9V Battery Experiment

    I connected the small copper wire and the light to a 9V battery, the light came on, but when I changed to the large copper wire, the light did not light up.
  2. S

    Trying to impress my 8th grade students, made some unknown stuff

    I had previously collected small amount of hydrogen to explode as an attention getting opener for my 8th grade science students when we started chemistry. My third period kids are inquisitive and hard working and also wanted a bigger explosion, so I thought I would try to reward their effort. I...
  3. C

    Calculating Copper Wire Gauge for Resistance Thermometer Bridge Circuit

    a. The resistance thermometer bridge circuit shown in FIGURE 1 has a designed maximum temperature of 200°C, ignoring the effects of connecting wire resistance. If the connecting loop is 250 m determine the smallest gauge (swg) of copper wire which must be used if the indicated maximum...
  4. C

    I Is there traction force between moving electrons & copper wire?

    Common sense: walking on road, there is traction between shoes & earth. I'm wondering: same thing for electric current's electrons & copper wire?
  5. V

    B Generator stator: Copper wire or copper sheets?

    Inside a electric generator. To produce the most electricity catching the greatest number of electrons. Instead of spinning a magnet in front of a copper loop or spinning a copper loop between 2 magnet poles my thinking is flat copper sheets would have more surface area on a single magnetic...
  6. E

    Resistance Differences: Nichrome vs. Copper Wire

    i don't understand the answer: Nichrome has a higher resistance than copper wire. There is a greater potential difference across the nichrome than the copper wire. From ,the resistance of nichrome is low enough such that there is significant power output. ^ i feel like the bold parts contradict...
  7. amizy9990

    A copper wire contains 3.0 *10 ^ 22 number of charges on 1 meter wire

    A copper wire contains 3.0 *10 ^ 22 number of charges on 1 meter wire. What speed do the electrons move when there is 2 A current in the wire. t=q/t=3,20*10^3 C/ 2.0 A = 1,5*10^22 s v= 1m/1,5*10^3s= 6,6*10^-4 m/s
  8. shk

    Force extension graph for copper wire

    I have attached the homework with some of the solution. I have ciuple of questions about it. For part b, what else I can say? I think the copper wite is ductile . Elastic and plastic behaviour have already been mentioned. I need to add another word to describe it. Can say it's hard ? Or...
  9. Majorana

    Insulated copper wire turned into gray powder

    Summary: Insulated copper wires (not plated) inexplicably turned into gray powder. Wires are intact between affected spots. This is a piece of common red/black loudspeaker cable, with PVC insulation, pulled from service after about 18 months from installation. It was used to feed a small...
  10. A

    Determining Resistance of a Copper Wire Without Knowing Its Resistivity

    What i did is: ##R=\rho\frac{l}{\Sigma}=\rho\frac{l}{d_2^2\pi-d_1^2\pi}## The problem is that I don't have ##\rho##. Is there a way to find ##R## without knowing it? Many thanks.
  11. PaxFinnica96

    Calculating the Gauge of a Copper Wire for a Thermometer Bridge Circuit

    Hi All, Really struggling to get my head around what I'm doing wrong - every time my answer of wire diameter comes out too small for what's included in the table of SWG. I must be doing something wrong somewhere - my attempt is below. Any help is very much appreciated.
  12. AnkitM

    Electrical Build an electromagnet which can lift up to 3 kg from 26 gauge copper wire

    Hey guys I want to build electromagnet which can lift up to 3 kg from 26 gauge copper wire, 12V battery (bike), so how many turns should I do and what will be length and radius of the solenoid?
  13. Zack K

    Change in the Electric Field Due to a Copper Wire Being Inserted

    Homework Statement A point charge of 6 × 10−9 C is located at the origin. The magnitude magnitude at ##\langle 0.6,0,0\rangle## m is 150 N/C Next, a short, straight, thin copper wire 5 mm long is placed along the x axis with its center at location ##\langle 0.3,0,0 \rangle## m. What is the...
  14. A

    Solving Exercise: Find Thickness of Rubber Insulation for Copper Wire

    Good day all, I tried to solve the following exercise, I would be glad to get feedback for my attempt ( indeed I was puzzled by the numerical solution I got just need to check it for any mistake: A copper wire , 2mm in diameter and 100 m in length has an electrical resistance of 0,5 mΩ/m, the...
  15. cookiemnstr510510

    Square copper wire loop within a magnetic field

    Homework Statement In the figures below, a copper wire of circular cross section, A, has been bent into a square loop of side length, c, and arc welded at the seam for electrical continuity. Assume that the resulting square loop has a resistance, R, and a mass, M. The loop is originally held...
  16. M

    A copper wire and an iron wire - Potential difference

    Homework Statement A copper wire and an iron wire of equal length l and diameter d are joined, and a potential difference V is applied between the ends of the composite wire. Calculate the potential difference (in volts) across the iron wire. Assume that l = 2.00 m., d = 0.30 mm., and V = 156...
  17. P

    Low DC amp through small circuit of 14 AWG copper wire?

    I have a 2 AMP regulated DC power supply, with variable voltage 3 - 12 v. If in a small circuit, i.e, small copper wire with 1 ohm resistor. Why am i not getting at max Amps?
  18. stephen8686

    E-Field Through Copper Wire given drift velocity

    Homework Statement If the magnitude of the drift velocity of free electrons in a copper wire is 7.84×10-4 m/s, what is the electric field in the conductor? (Also gives chart that states that the resistivity of Cu is 1.7×10-8 Ωm) Homework Equations [/B] vd=(qEτ)/me (where τ is avg. time...
  19. Jimmerding

    Detanglers for copper wire/power lines - Do they exist?

    Morning all, I am currently designing a VAWT and am working on a contra-rotating turbine, but I am extremely new to electrical engineering as a whole, I just really like the idea of designing something like this as a fun project and possibly being able to benefit from lower power bills as a...
  20. T

    Calculate the required current flow in the suspended wire

    Homework Statement In the figure, the top wire is 1.5 mm diameter copper wire and is suspended in air due to the two magnetic forces from the bottom two wires. The current flow through the two bottom wires is 70 A in each. Calculate the required current flow in the suspended wire. Homework...
  21. A

    Calculate the rise in temp in copper 3 core wire

    Dear Guys, It will be really helpful if some one can give me the calculation step by step or some calculator where in I can resolve my long pending problem. Thanks in advance I will be really glad to have a correct answer. The Q is below Calculate temperature rise in 3 core cable after 3 hrs...
  22. WiseGreatTrixie

    Copper wire problems and strange phenomenon

    ok so I was creating a connection today and used a 5 v led on a 1.5 v battery. Battery was in a case from radioshack and had insulated leads, full of twisted micro wire. Since there was no way to crimp it or strip the wire without me ruining the twists, I just bundled it to some non twisted wire...
  23. P

    How does corrosion affect the resistivity of copper wire?

    I'm not sure if corrosion does have a significant effect on copper in general but if it does, how and why does it happen, and the process of it happening and its effect on the overall resistivity? This is for a physics assignment...Please help if you can. Thank you
  24. S

    What limits the speed of information through a copper wire?

    What limits the speed of information through a copper wire? What is the speed of signal in optic fibres? Is it faster and why?
  25. N

    What is causing the copper wire to not conduct in my inductor coil?

    I am making an inductor coil out of wire that I removed from a piece of insulated copper wire. The inductor didn't conduct and I checked the conductivity of the coil alone via a multimeter and it didn't conduct any electricity and it is a copper wire so I need to know what is going on here...
  26. S

    Electron speed and movement through a copper wire

    I've recently read that the electrons move relatively slowly to what I had previously thought through a metal. That the "drift velocity" is slow, but because the electrons are plentiful, they can pass down the signal very fast. Near light speeds. Could someone explain what I'm missing and this...
  27. M

    Finding north with copper wire

    How do you figure out which way is north when you're lost and the only things you've got with you is a copper wire and a voltmeter? Thanks in advance.
  28. F

    What is the resistivity of a copper wire with given dimensions and length?

    Homework Statement A number 12 copper wire has a diameter of 2.053mm. Calculate the resistance of a 31m long piece of such wire. Use rho=1.72x10-8 Ohm-m for the resistivity of copper. Homework Equations This is the part that I am unsure of, all of my equations for resistivity do not...
  29. R

    How can 2 signals go thru copper wire?

    talking to someone about direct tv systems, how they talk between HD boxes over the rg6 coax line one person said one part sends a signal and it travels down the center of the center coax conductor and another signal going the other way travels down the outer part of the conductor, the surface...
  30. C

    How Long Can Copper Wire Be in a Data Center to Limit Voltage Drop to 1V?

    Homework Statement Your data center has 100,000 CPUs. Each burns 100 W at 120 V. Copper has a resistivity of 1.7E-8 Ω*m. What is the maximum length of copper wire on the power supply to give a voltage drop of no more than 1V? Homework Equations P = V*I R = (rho*L)/A, where L is the...
  31. J

    Resistance of a Copper Wire with initial and final radius

    Homework Statement A Copper wire has a shape given by a radius that increases as R(x)= aex+ b. Its initial radius is .45 mm and final radius is 9.67 mm and its horizontal length is 38 cm. Find its resistance. Homework Equations R = pL/A where p = resistivity of copper A = ∏r2 L = length of...
  32. M

    Copper wire and shove it into the positive terminal

    If I were to take a copper wire and shove it into the positive terminal of an electrical outlet and then stick the other side of the copper wire into the earth, will current flow??
  33. M

    Find the current in the copper wire

    Homework Statement a) What is the current contained in the cylindrical shell of wire defined by R/2<r<R? b) What is the total current running through the wire? c) Given your answer to (b) what potential difference V must be applied between the ends of the wire? Homework Equations...
  34. M

    Conductivity of a copper wire at 4K

    Hi everyone, I am trying to find the mean free time between collisions for free electrons in a copper wire given the dimensions of the wire and the resistance, electron density and temperature. I figured I needed to find the conductivity, plug that into an expression for mean free path...
  35. T

    Diagnose Copper Wire Winding Faults

    Hi. I am wondering how I can diagnose a winding and find out whether it is damaged. Windings like for solenoids or electromagnets operating on 12VDC. Or even for 12V motors. I want to know how I can detect a turn to turn shorted winding. Does an electromagnet lose magnetic power and...
  36. P

    Magnitude of the electric field in a copper wire.

    Homework Statement In the circuit shown, two thick copper wires connect a 1.5 V battery to a Nichrome wire. Each copper wire has radius R = 7 mm and is L = 18 cm long. Copper has 8.4 × 10^28 mobile electrons per cubic meter and an electron mobility of 4.4×10^−3 (m/s)/(V/m). The Nichrome wire...
  37. N

    Diameter of copper wire to have same resistance as equal length aluminum wire

    Homework Statement What diameter must a copper wire have if its resistance is to be the same as that of an equal length of aluminum wire with diameter 3.94mm? Give your answer in mmHomework Equations R = ρL/A where A is the cross sectional area, L is the length and ρ resistance of the...
  38. N

    Winding Copper wire / strip on Aluminium body

    Hello All, Greetings. I am new to this forum. I am working for a heater project, in which we use plastic (PA66) over molded on aluminum (6061-T6) body for melting corrosive liquids (similar to sea water). The Aluminum body is heated by means of Positive temperature coefficient material (PTC)...
  39. P

    Resistance of a copper wire

    Homework Statement A 10-g piece of copper is to be formed into a wire of radius 1.0 mm at a temperature of 50° C. What is the resistance of this wire? (Hint: you will need to look up the density of copper.) If a potential of 12 V is put across this wire, what is the drift velocity...
  40. S

    How Does Resistivity Affect Copper Wire Resistance and Current Flow?

    12-gauge copper wire has a radius of 1.03×10−3 m. (a) What is the resistance of 11.5 m of this wire at 20°C. (b) How much current will pass through the wire if a potential difference of 9.00 V is applied across it? The resistivity for copper is 1.7E-8 ohm meters For part a: The equation is...
  41. C

    How Much Power is Lost in a Copper Wire in a Series Circuit?

    Homework Statement A 200m long copper wire, with cross section area of 1.5mm2, is connected with a 10Ω resistor in a series circuit, and the supply voltage is 50V. Homework Equations Find the power loss in the copper wire, when ρ=0.0175 Ωmm2/m The Attempt at a Solution R=*L/A...
  42. D

    Heating a 7 cm long copper wire of cross sectional diameter .75mm

    hi guys, m a lil stuck here what voltage would be rquired to heat a 7cm long copper wire of .75mm diameter in about 2-3 seconds.the target temp is 400-450c. dr ankit
  43. J

    Youngs Modulus of copper wire experiment

    Homework Statement I’m doing some basic young’s modulus homework and I think I’ve solved it but I want other people to give their answers to see if the match my own. Its young are of copper wire. 2. Homework Equations E = stress over strain Stress = applied force (F) over Cross sectional area...
  44. 2

    What happens when a permanent magnet is wound with a copper wire

    what happens when a permanent magnet is wound with a copper wire (inductor) and the inductor is connected to some volatge? Will the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet increase (i.e., make the permanent magnet more strong)?
  45. H

    Drift velocity and copper wire

    Homework Statement A copper wire of diameter 2.00mm carries a current of 0.50A.The number of conducting electrons per metre cube of copper is 8.00 x 10^28. a)Calculate the drift velocity of the conducting electrons. b)What is the number of conducting electrons in 10.0cm length of the wire...
  46. H

    Methods for Determining the Volume of Copper Wire: A Comprehensive Guide

    Homework Statement what are the different methods to finding the volume of a coper wire? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution
  47. T

    How to (help): copper wire spring

    Greetings, I need to make a spring out of pure copper wire. I'm using 30 awg off a spool but I'm struggling to make the copper retain its original shape after being stretched. I don't know much about material science except that when metal is brought to a high temperature and then quickly...
  48. M

    Electron moving in a Copper Wire

    Homework Statement How far does an average electron move along the wires of a 299 W toaster during an alternating current cycle? The power cord has copper wires of diameter 1.7 mm and is plugged into a standard 60 Hz 120 V ac outlet. Homework Equations Prms=IrmsVrms Ipeak=I0=Irms(sqrt...
  49. G

    Calculating harmonics of a copper wire

    Homework Statement A vertical, 1.13m length of 18-gauge (diameter of 1.024mm) copper wire has a 200.0N ball hanging from it. What is the wavelength of the third harmonic for this wire? A 1000- ball now replaces the original ball. What is the change in the wavelength of the third harmonic...
  50. M

    Electron Drift in Copper Wire: 40m in 0.020mm/s = Days?

    The drift speed of the electrons in a copper wire running from a battery to a light bulb and back is approximately 0.020 mm/s. The battery is at the front of the classroom and wire runs out of a perimeter of the room to the light bulb. The total length of wire is 40meters. How long would it take...
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