What is the resistivity of a wire and how is it calculated?

The resistivity of a wire is a measure of how strongly the material opposes the flow of electric current. It is given by the formula:

R = ρ * (L / A)

Where:

  • R is the resistance of the wire.
  • ρ (rho) is the resistivity of the material.
  • L is the length of the wire.
  • A is the cross-sectional area of the wire.

If the diameter of the wire is known, the cross-sectional area A can be calculated using the formula for the area of a circle:

A = π * (d/2)^2

Where d is the diameter of the wire. Once you have the cross-sectional area, you can plug it into the resistivity formula to find the resistance of the wire.

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