Alex+Wiegand

The Electrical Resistance of Copper Wiring vs. multiple-wire ropes

Problem Does a combination of different wires in rope form have an equal electrical resistance to copper wiring but available at a lower cost?

Background The electrical resistance of a substance is the resistance to the flow of an electrical current. An object that has a high electrical resistance will be what is known as an insulator, such as rubber. An object that has a low electrical resistance will be a good conductor, such as copper. The electrical resistance of a substance is measured in the units ohms→ Ω If one knows the voltage and the current one can calculate the electrical resistance using Ohm’s law which is V=IR Where V is Voltage(volts), I is Current(amperes), and R is resistance. Don't use "you" it's best to stay away from that. Sarah Beth The electrical resistance of a wire is based off of three factors: the length of the wire, the cross-sectional area of the wire, and the resistivity of the material composing the wire. The longer a wire is the higher the electrical resistance will be. The larger the cross-sectional area of the wire the lower the electrical resistance will be.(Electrical Resistance, Gale) The cross-sectional area of a wire is measured in mm 2 .(technick) The material composing the wire will have a certain resistance depending on the chemical composition of the substance.(Electrical Resistance, Gale)

Hypothesis If Aluminum wire and galvanized steel wire are twisted together, then they will have equal or less electrical resistance than that of a copper wire.

(How will this make the wires cheaper to purchase? You should include something about this in the background. -Mitch Spencer) Materials two Copper wires with mm 2 cross-sectional area($5.00) two aluminum wire with same cross-sectional area as the copper wire(≅$2.00) two galvanized steel wire with same cross-sectional area as the copper wire(≅$2.00) multimeter($5.00-$25.00) 9 volt battery($2.00) light bulb($2.00) gloves($5.00) two alligator clamps($2.00) total≅$25.00-$45.00

Methods
 * 1) Cut wires to a constant of 25cm if they exceed this. You don't need "first" because it is a numbered list. Also, are you planning on wearing safety glasses? Allie Faivre
 * 2) Put safety gloves on and safety glasses.
 * 3) Twist the two wires that have not been determined together into a rope.
 * 4) Attach alligator clamps to ends of each wire.
 * 5) Attach alligator clamp on copper wire to one terminal. What's an alligator? Sarah Beth
 * 6) Attach other clamp to opposite terminal
 * 7) Take readings on the current with multimeter. How? Including how to take readings with the multimeter will make your methods section better. Are you planning on recording this information? Allie Faivre
 * 8) Remove both clamps.
 * 9) Set up a stand for the light bulb.
 * 10) Reattach both clamps touch the light bulb to the wire.
 * 11) Record qualitative data on the brightness of the light. How will you determine the characteristics like will it be that visible? Sarah Beth
 * 12) Follow steps 5-11 with the rope wire.
 * 13) Repeat steps 1-12 with the other sets of wires to assure that there was no flaw with first wires.

(You should explain what is meant by terminal in case someone doesn't understand. -Mitch Spencer)

Bibliography

"Electrical Resistance." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 4th ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2008. 1486. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. @http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX2830100811&v=2.1&u=washington_chs&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=96665ee3dd83f4ee2d7cab92e9b26e51

AWG to Metric Conversion Chart. technick, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. @http://www.technick.net/public/code/cp_dpage.php?aiocp_dp=guide_awg_to_metric

"Electrical Conductivity." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_conductivity

"Which Materials Are the Best Conductors?" // Which Materials Are the Best Conductors? // N.p., 01 Oct. 2010. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. __ [|http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/Elec_p018.shtml?from=Hom..#materials] __