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Learn the Difference Between Resistance and Resistivity here!

Last Updated on Feb 19, 2025
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Resistance is the property of a material to block the flow of electricity. It is symbolized by the capital letter R. Ohm is the common unit of resistance; it is sometimes written as a word and occasionally represented by . Resistivity is a metric for the resistance to an electric current’s flow through a specific conductor. It enables us to assess how well certain materials permit or obstruct the passage of electricity through them. In this article, we will understand the difference between resistance and resistivity.

Difference Between Resistance and Resistivity

The differences between resistance and resistivity have been mentioned below.

Resistance Resistivity
Resistance is defined as an object’s complete opposition to current flow. A more conventional phrase to describe an object’s resistance is its resistivity. It is the amount of resistance a given thing offers per cubic metre.
SI unit is Ohm. SI unit is Ohm-meter.
R=V/I = RA/L
The object’s physical dimensions and its resistivity at a certain temperature both affect resistance. The material and temperature coefficient of the object affect resistivity.
The resistance varies with an object’s physical dimensions for a particular substance and a particular temperature. The resistivity is always constant for a specific substance of an object at a particular temperature.
It is represented by the letter ‘R’. Represented by the Greek letter ‘’(rho).


Resistance and Resistivity Formulas

Resistance

In an electric circuit, the current flowing through a given metallic wire is directly proportional to the potential across its terminals when the temperature remains constant. Whenever the current and voltage drop across a conductor are known, the resistance of the conductor may be determined using Ohms law. The following is the formula for calculating resistance using Ohm’s Law:

Here R is the constant

As a result, the relationship between resistance and the current across the circuit is inverse. Due to this relationship, current flow in a circuit decreases with increasing resistance whereas current flow increases with decreasing resistance.The conductor’s resistance is inversely proportional to its cross-sectional area.

A variation in resistance value of a substance with respect to each degree of temperature change is known as the temperature coefficient of resistance. As a result, the process of electron collision within the material determines the resistance value of conductors like gold, aluminium, silver, and copper. The mechanism of electron collision speeds up and becomes more rapid as temperature rises. As a consequence, the resistance will climb as the conductor’s temperature rises.

Resistivity:

The electrical resistivity can be defined as the electrical resistance a conductor offers per unit length and per unit cross-sectional area at a particular temperature. It is a characteristic of a substance that shows how strongly it conducts or resists electric electricity. The resistivity equation is as follows:

Where R is the resistance and A is the cross-sectional area and l is the length.

Temperature affects a substance’s resistance as well as its resistivity, and in the case of conductors (mainly metallic conductors), resistivity rises with rising temperature and falls with falling temperature. The rate of change in resistivity per degree increase or decrease in temperature from the initial temperature of a substance is known as the temperature coefficient of resistivity.

Metallic conductors have a positive temperature coefficient of resistivity, which means that their resistance changes almost linearly with a temperature above normal temperature and becomes non-linear at both very high and very low temperatures.

Facts About Resistance and Resistivity

Resistance:

Free electrons collide in the conductor as they go toward the positive end, which results in the resistance of a conducting wire. The following elements affect a material’s electrical resistance, such as a wire or conductor:

  1. The length of the substance.
  2. The surface area of the material.
  3. The temperature.

Resistivity:

  1. A conductor’s resistivity is exactly proportional to its resistance. [ρ ∝ R].
  2. A conductor’s homogeneous cross-sectional area directly relates to its resistance. [ρ ∝ A]
  3. A conductor’s length has an inverse relationship with its resistivity. [ρ ∝ 1/l]
  4. The nature of the material and temperature are additional factors that affect resistivity.

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More Articles for Physics

Difference Between Resistance and Resistivity FAQs

Resistivity is a measurement of a certain material's resistance at a given dimension, whereas resistance is a measure of a material's ability to resist the flow of electrons.

The current and resistance are inversely related to each other. As the resistance rises, the current falls, and vice versa. The current is halved when the resistance is doubled.

Whenever an electric current passes through a conductor, the ions and atoms collide with one another at extremely high amplitudes and frequencies, which blocks the flow of electricity. Resistance results from this obstacle

The resistance to motion created when two objects rub against one another is called friction. Whereas, resistance is the obstruction to the flow of current in an electrical circuit.

The temperature of the object frequently has an impact on the value of resistivity.

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