- A student determines the resistivity of a metal that is in the form of a cylindrical wire.
The student makes the following measurements:
Length of the wire =
Readings for the diameter of the wire:
| Reading | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.18 | 0.20 | 0.21 | 0.22 | 0.26 | 0.18 |
Resistance of the wire =
(a) Outline why the measurements of were made at different places along the wire. [1]
(b) Suggest suitable instruments for the measurement of
(i) [1]
(ii) [1]
(c) (i) Show that the mean diameter of the wire is about . [2]
(ii) Calculate the fractional uncertainty in the diameter of the wire. [2]
(iii) Calculate the fractional uncertainty in the length of the wire. [1]
(d) The resistivity of the wire is given by where is the cross‑sectional area of the wire. Calculate the value of and its absolute uncertainty. State your answers to an appropriate number of significant figures. [3]