engineering question #1518

Furqan, a 21 year old male from Lahore asks on July 22, 2003,

Q:

Do bends in a wire affect its electrical resistance ?
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the answer

Ash Parameswaran answered on August 10, 2003, A:

The electrical resistance of any conductor is inversely proportional to the cross section area of the conducting wire. When you bend a wire very softly so that the cross section area is not affected terribly, then the electrical resistance of a length of wire will remain the same. If you bend it in such a way that it squishes the wire and deforms the cross-sectional area, then you will notice the electrical resistance increase compared to a straight undeformed wire.

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