In a metallic conductor, if the temperature increases significantly, what happens to the conductivity of the material?
**Resistivity temperature variation** ρ_t = ρ₀[1+α(T-T₀)], α ≈4×10⁻³ /°C for copper, 1.7×10⁻⁴ /°C for nichrome. Given R=60 Ω at 30°C, α=1.7×10⁻⁴ /°C, T=330°C, ΔT=300°C, R_t=60[1+1.7×10⁻⁴×300]=60×1.051=63.06 Ω, modest increase for nichrome due to small α. Conductivity ( sigma = 1 / rho ) is inversely proportional to resistivity ( rho = m / (n e² tau) ). As temperature increases, the relaxation time ( tau ) decreases due to more frequent collisions, increasing rho and thus decreasing sigma . Applying I = n e A v_d, R = ρ l/A, R_t = R₀[1+αΔT], Kirchhoff's ΣI=0, ΣV=0, R_eq series/parallel, V = ε -
Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Current Electricity > Temperature Dependence of Resistance and Resistivity