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How to Reduce Electrical Resistance Compound

Electrical resistance is due to electrons scattering off one another and also off the sides of the wire. Resistance is a macroscopic measurable quantity and is often used by scientists, electricians and engineers in order to fault-test electrical devices. The resistance of a compound depends upon two things: the electrical resistivity of the compound material and the wire geometry. The electrical resistivity is a material-specific parameter and cannot be altered by changing the wire geometry. Changing the length, width and thickness of the wire can drastically alter the resistance.

Things You'll Need

Wire of different thickness, length and width

Instructions

- 1
  Use wire of a greater width. Wider wires have a lower electrical resistance. This is because there is more "space" for electrons to travel without knocking into one another.
- 2
  Use wire of shorter length. The farther electrons travel, the more likely it is they will scatter off one another. Therefore, the shorter the distance travelled, the fewer scattering events and the lower the electrical resistance.
- 3
  Use wire of a greater thickness. Thicker wire allows electrons more space to travel and means there will be fewer scattering events. The equation for the resistance of a wire is:
  
  R= Rho x L / (w x t)
  
  R is the resistance, Rho is the resistivity of the material, L is the length of the wire, w is the width of the wire and t is the thickness of the wire.

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