Ohm鈥檚 law, electric power and energy - CCEAResistance and temperature
Ohm鈥檚 Law states that the voltage across a conductor is directly proportional to the current flowing through it, provided all physical conditions, such as temperature, remain constant.
If the temperature of a metal conductor increases, the ions of the metal vibrate more vigorously.
This increases the number of collisions between the free electronsNegatively charged sub-atomic particles that can move through the structure of a substance, usually a metal or graphite. and the ions.
Hence, for a metal, resistance increases with increasing temperature.
Often the increase in temperature is caused by an increase in current.
An example is a filament lamp.
As current increases, the filament gets hotter and the resistance of the bulb increases.
A thermistor is a device that鈥檚 resistance changes with temperature.
The resistance of an NTC thermistor decreases with increasing temperature.
A voltage-current graph for a thermistor is shown below.
Voltage - Current graph for a thermistor as current and temperature rise.