Resistivity of two copper wires using valence shell information

[rwooduk]

Homework Statement

Homework Equations

Please see below.

The Attempt at a Solution

From my thread in the Solid State section (and input from DrDu): The Thomas-Fermi wavevector relates to the damping of an electric field caused by build up of carriers around an impurity (screening). Where, $2\pi/k_0$ is the characteristic length over which a static perturbation is screened in a metal.

The trouble I'm having with this question is that I don't understand how to use the valance band shell information, please could someone explain to me how the information may be used to determine resistivity.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Asim Riaz]

To answer this question, you need to understand the concept of resistivity. Resistivity is a measure of how much electrical resistance is present in a material. In other words, it tells you how much current will flow through a given cross-sectional area of the material when a certain voltage is applied across it. The valence band shell information can be used to determine the resistivity of a material in the following way: If the material has a large number of electrons in the valence band shell, then it will have a low resistivity because the electrons can easily move through the material. On the other hand, if the material has a small number of electrons in the valence band shell, then it will have a higher resistivity because it is more difficult for the electrons to move through the material. The Thomas-Fermi wavevector can also be used to determine the resistivity of a material. This is because the wavevector is related to the screening of an electric field caused by the buildup of carriers around an impurity. The larger the wavevector, the greater the screening effect and thus the lower the resistivity.