Exercise EE1-04.04 – Temperature coefficient measurement

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Jungmann (last updated 2025-10-26)

Relates to EE1-04 Resistance

Task

During the quality control of a wire made of an unknown material, two resistance measurements are carried out at different temperatures. The first measurement at $T_1=25°C$ yields a resistance of $R_1=510\Omega$, the second measurement at $T_2=60°C$ a resistance of $R_2=580\Omega$.

a) Calculate the temperature coefficient ${\alpha }_{20}$ of the wire material.

b) Determine the resistance $R_{20}$ at the reference temperature of $20°C$.

c) Identify the material of the wire on the basis of the temperature coefficient you have determined.

Solution

a) $4.0\cdot 10^{-3}{\mathrm{K}}^{-1}$
b) $500\mathrm{\Omega }$
c) Aluminium

▶️ Full worked solution