Asked in FBISE Physics 2022 — Paper 1 2022Moderate

A wire of resistance 'R' is stretched till its radius is half of the original value. The 2R resistance of stretched wire is:

Correct answer: D. 16R

  • A. 2R
  • B. 4R
  • C. 8R
  • D. 16R

Explanation

The resistance (R) of a wire is given by formula: R = ρ L/Awhere ( ρ ) is the resistivity of the material, ( L ) is the length of the wire, and ( A ) is the cross-sectional area.When the wire is stretched and its radius is halved, its cross-sectional area ( A ) becomes one-fourth, since ( A ) is proportional to the square of the radius (( r2 )). However, the volume (and thus the mass) of the wire remains constant, so the length ( L ) of the wire must increase to compensate for the reduced cross-sectional area.The new resistance ( R' ) of the wire can be found by substituting the new length ( L' ) and new area ( A' ) into the resistance formula: R' = ρ L'/A'Given that ( L' ) is the new length and ( A' ) is the new area, which is one-fourth of the original area, we can express ( L' ) in terms of the original length ( L ) due to the conservation of volume: L′= 4LSubstituting ( L' ) and ( A' ) into the formula for ( R' ), we get: R′ = 4L/(1/4)A =16ρL/A =16RTherefore, the new resistance of the wire when its radius is halved is 16R.

Last updated

About Resistance and Resistivity

Resistance measures opposition to current in a conductor and follows R = V/I for an ohmic conductor, while resistivity is an intrinsic property of the material. Questions use R = ρL/A, examine effects of length, cross-sectional area and temperature, and distinguish resistance, resistivity, conductance and conductivity.

Practise Current Electricity

1,052 free Current Electricity MCQs from Physics, each with the correct answer and an explanation. Unlimited attempts, no account needed.

Exams that ask Physics questions like this

Physics is on 13 papers prepared for on TestUstad, and all of them draw the same bank, so this question is worth knowing for every one of them.

Related questions