If the cross-sectional area of a wire is doubled, what happens to its resistance
Practice Questions
Q1
If the cross-sectional area of a wire is doubled, what happens to its resistance?
Doubles
Halves
Remains the same
Increases four times
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If the cross-sectional area of a wire is doubled, what happens to its resistance?
Correct Answer: Resistance halves
Step 1: Understand that resistance (R) is a measure of how much a wire opposes the flow of electric current.
Step 2: Know that the cross-sectional area (A) of a wire is the size of the wire's surface that electricity flows through.
Step 3: Remember the relationship: Resistance (R) is inversely proportional to cross-sectional area (A). This means that if the area increases, the resistance decreases.
Step 4: If the cross-sectional area (A) is doubled, it means the area is now larger.
Step 5: Since resistance is inversely proportional to area, doubling the area will reduce the resistance by half.
Step 6: Therefore, if the cross-sectional area of the wire is doubled, the resistance is halved.
