GCSE Physics

Defining Resistivity

AS level material below, potentially useful for coursework!

If we rearrange the equation for resistance, we find:
resistivity = resistance x area / length

This means that resistivity, p, has units of ohm-metres, or ohm-m and is actually the resistance that a cubic-metre of a material would have!

Think about this for a moment. A cubic metre would have a very low resistance, because its cross-sectional area is a square metre!


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