Question Details

The metre bridge wire is made of alloys such as nichrome because they have:


Options

A

high temperature coefficient of resistance and high resistivity


B

low temperature coefficient of resistance and low resistivity


C

low temperature coefficient of resistance and high resistivity


D

high temperature coefficient of resistance and low resistivity

Show Answer

Correct Answer :

Option C

low temperature coefficient of resistance and high resistivity


Solution :

The correct option is: low temperature coefficient of resistance and high resistivity.

A metre bridge (or slide wire bridge) is an electrical apparatus used to measure an unknown resistance based on the principle of a Wheatstone bridge. The wire used in a metre bridge must have specific electrical properties to ensure precision and accuracy during experiments. Alloys like nichrome, constantan, or manganin are chosen for this wire due to the following reasons:

1. High Resistivity:
The resistance of a wire is given by the relation:
R = ρ l A
where ρ represents the resistivity of the material, l is the length of the wire, and A is its cross-sectional area. Since the wire in a metre bridge is limited to a length of exactly 1 metre, it must have high resistivity to provide a sufficiently large and measurable resistance without requiring an impractically thin wire.

2. Low Temperature Coefficient of Resistance:
When electric current flows through the wire during measurement, heat is generated due to Joule heating:
H = I 2 R t
This heating causes the temperature of the wire to rise. The resistance of a conductor changes with temperature according to the formula:
R T = R 0 ( 1 + α Δ T )
where α is the temperature coefficient of resistance and ΔT is the temperature change. If the wire has a high value of α, its resistance will fluctuate during the experiment, leading to significant errors. Using an alloy with a very low temperature coefficient of resistance ensures that its resistance remains constant and unaffected by temperature changes during operation.

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