Why does temperature effect the resistance of conductors?

The resistance of a conductor increases with temperature. This is because as the temperature increases the atomic lattice of the conductor has more energy so begins to vibrate more. This means it is more likely for any electrons travelling within the conductor to interact with atoms thus increasing its resistance. Temperature is one of the 4 factors that effect resistance, the other being the length of the wire, the cross sectional area of the wire and the material of which the wire is made up of.

Answered by Peter E. Physics tutor

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