Understanding Resistivity: Solving a Wire Material Mystery

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating the resistivity of a wire with a length of 15 feet and a cross-sectional area of 127 circular mils, yielding a resistivity of 8.74 ohms at 20°C. The correct resistivity value is confirmed to be 12.3 x 10^-8 ohm-meters. The confusion arises from the use of the formula p = AR/L, where A must be converted from circular mils to square meters and L from feet to meters. The participants clarify unit conversions, emphasizing the importance of using SI units for accurate calculations.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electrical resistivity and its units
  • Familiarity with unit conversions, specifically circular mils to square meters and feet to meters
  • Proficiency in using formulas for calculating resistivity, including p = AR/L
  • Basic knowledge of Wolfram Alpha for computational verification
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the conversion factors for circular mils to square meters
  • Learn about the significance of resistivity in different materials
  • Explore the use of Wolfram Alpha for solving physics problems
  • Study the implications of temperature on resistivity in conductive materials
USEFUL FOR

Students in electrical engineering, physics enthusiasts, and anyone involved in material science or electrical calculations will benefit from this discussion.

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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.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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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