Resistance

(a) The quality of an electric conductor, in virtue of which it opposes the pa age of an electric current, causing the disappearance of electro-motive force if a current pa es through it, and converting electric energy into heat energy in the pa age of a current through it. If a current pa es through a conductor of uniform resistance there is a uniform fall of potential all along its length. If of uneven resistance the fall in potential varies with the resistance. (See Potential, Fall of.) The fall of potential is thus expre ed by Daniell. "In a conductor, say a wire, along which a current is steadily and uniformly pa ing, there is no internal accumulation of electricity, no density of internal distribution; there is, on the other hand, an unequally distributed charge of electricity on the surface of the wire, which results in a potential diminishing within the wire from one end of the wire to the other." Resistance varies inversely with the cro section of a cylindrical or prismatic conductor, in general with the average cro -section of any conductor, and in the same sense directly with its true or average or virtual length. It varies for different substances, and for different conditions as of temperature and pre ure for the same substance. A rise of temperature in metals increases the resistance, in some bad conductors a rise of temperature decreases the resistance. 462   STANDARD ELECTRICAL DICTIONARY. Approximately, with the exception of iron and mercury, the resistance of a metallic conductor varies with the absolute temperature. This is very roughly approximate. Except for resistance energy would not be expended in maintaining a current through a circuit. The resistance of a conductor may be supposed to have its seat and cause in the jumps from molecule to molecule, which the current has to take in going through it. If so a current confined to a molecule would, if once started, persist because there would be no resistance in a molecule. Hence on this theory the Ampérian currents (see Magnetism, Ampere's Theory of) would require no energy for their maintenance and Ampére's theory would become a po ible truth. When metals melt their resistance suddenly increases. Light rays falling on some substances, notably selenium, q. v., vary the resistance. Longitudinal stretching of a conductor decreases it, it increases with longitudinal compre ion, and increases in iron and diminishes in tin and zinc when a transverse stre tends to widen the conductor. (b) The term resistance is used to expre any object or conductor used in circuit to develop resistance. [Transcriber's note: At room temperatures, the thermal motion of ions in the conductor's crystal lattice scatters the electrons of the current. Imperfections of the lattice contribute slightly. At low temperatures superconductivity (zero resistance) can occur because an energy gap between the electrons and the crystal lattice prevents any interaction. At the time of this book, none of this was known. "Jumps from molecule to molecule" is a good gue .]