Understanding Resistivity: Solving a Wire Material Mystery

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AI Thread Summary
A discussion revolves around determining the material of a wire with specific resistivity and dimensions. The wire is 15 feet long with a cross-sectional area of 127 circular mils and a resistivity of 8.74 ohms at 20°C. Confusion arises regarding the use of the formula for resistivity, particularly the conversion factors and units. Participants clarify that using SI units yields consistent results, confirming the resistivity as 12.3 x 10^-8 ohm-meters. The conversation emphasizes the importance of accurate unit conversion in solving resistivity problems.
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Homework Statement


a 15ft length wire with a cross sectional area of 127 c mils has a resistivities of 8.74 ohms at 20 C. What material is wire made of. Any help would be appreciated. (pi/4*10^-6) was given by the book. Whats odd is when I enter pi/4*10^6 instead for wolfram I'm getting the right answer. I would just like to know if I'm wrong or the book is,and if I am wrong how to go about it.

Homework Equations


p=AR/L ([127(pi/4*10^-6)IN^2](8.74ohm))/15ft*1ft/12inch*.0254/1inch

The Attempt at a Solution


wolfram isn't giving me the right answer. I'm given this problem from a schaum workbook. answer is 12.3*10^-8

Homework Statement


Homework Equations


The Attempt at a Solution

 
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I get the same answer as the Schaum's book when I used SI units.

As per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistivity" the units of R is Ohms, A is square metres and L is metres, thus giving the final unit of Ohm metres for p.

As per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_mil" 1 c mil = 5.067×10-10 square metres.

As per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_%28unit%29" 1 foot = 0.3048 metres.

So put it all together and tell us what you get.
 
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123.01 ^-9

The way the book had it presented is the way I wrote it down. This way was a lot easier. Thanks
 

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