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Physics lab report experiment:

Aim: To investigate the resistance of three different types of wire.

Hypothesis: I think that constantan will have the highest resistance because the
wire is the thinnest. The higher the resistance, the fewer electrons can go through
the wire.
Variables:
Dependent: (What you measure doing an experiment) The amount of Volts and
Amps, using that to calculate the resistance.
Independent: (What you change in the experiment) The types of wire.
Controlled: (What you dont change/ what you control in the experiment) The
length of the wire ( 10cm).

Materials needed:
10 cm of constantan wire
10 cm of copper wire
10 cm of bare nickel chrome wire
Ammeter
Voltmeter
Power pack
2 crocodile clips
2 black connecting wires
2 red connecting wires
Wire cutter
Ruler
Method:
1. Firstly, take the 3 types of wire and use the ruler to measure out 10 cm of each
wire , then cut the wires with the wire cutter , each to the measurement ( 10cm).
2. Next, take the red and black connecting wires and connect 1 red and 1 black to
the power-pack connected to the voltmeter. The voltmeter should have another red
connecting wire, with a crocodile clip at the end, clipped to the constantan wire. At
the opposite side of the constantan wire will also be a crocodile clip, attached to the
last black connecting wire, which should simultaneously be connected to the
voltmeter.

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3. When the above has been set up (refer to the diagram for a clearer view) turn the
power-pack onto the lowest level, which is 2. Note down the amount of volts. Do the
same procedure afterwards, except switching the constantan wire with copper wire,
and after replacing the copper wire with the bare nickel chrome wire.
4. After noting down the volts for each of the wires, switch the voltmeter with the
ammeter. Do the same with each of the types of wires, noting down the amps.
5. Finally, turn off the power-supply and calculate the resistance. This is the volts
from one type of wire divided by the amps of the wire.

Diagram:
Black connecting
wire

Voltmete
r/ammet
er
Red connecting
wire

Crocodile
clip

Constantan wire/copper
wire/ bare nickel chrome
wire

Power- pack

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Results:
Table of raw data:
Type of wire

Amps measured

Volts measured

Constantan
Copper
Bare nickel chrome

4.01
3.81
3.88

1.25
0.45
1.04

Resistance
calculated (Volts
divided by amps)
0.3
0.1
0.2

From this table we can see that constantan had the highest resistance,
unsurprisingly though, because the wire was the thinnest and less electrons could
go through it. The thickness of the copper in our experiment was 0.07 mm thick,
the thickness of the bare nickel chrome was 0.05 mm thick and the thickness of the
constantan was 0.195 mm thick. So the experiment data and the thickness of the
wire relate to each other because copper was the thickest and had the lowest
resistance, and constantan was the thinnest and had the highest resistance.
Another factor to look into is the percentage of metals in the types of wire. They are
all alloys. The copper in the experiment was composed of 45% nickel and 55%
Copper. The constantan is a mixture of nickel and copper, bare nickel chrome
contains approximately 80% nickel and 20% chromium.

Graph:

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Resistance of the 3 different types of wire

Resistance ( )

0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0

Resistance

Types of wire

Conclusion:
In conclusion, Constantan had the most resistance. My hypothesis was correct, the
thinner the wire, the fewer electrons can go through the wire. Bare nickel had 0.2
lower resistance than constantan, making it have the second highest resistance out
of the 3 types of wire. Copper wire had the lowest resistance, probably because it
was the thickest, allowing more electrons to go through the wire.

Evaluation:
I think that the experiment could have been a fairer test, because we should have
kept the thickness of the wire the same. But we lacked the resources and couldnt
have done otherwise. Maybe next time, if the experiment was planned a week or
two ahead; I would have time to ensure the experiment would be a fair test. Another
point to make is that we couldnt control the alloys, what kind of metal and how
much there was in it e.g Copper wire had 45% nickel and 55% copper. So next time,
instead of rushing into the experiment, we should plan it out more carefully, making
the test as fair as possible with the schools provided equipment.