(Effect of temperature on mobility and resistivity) The resistivity of a pure copper…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Current Electricity · Current Electricity
Problem
(Effect of temperature on mobility and resistivity)
The resistivity of a pure copper sample increases by 4% when its temperature is raised from 300K to 330K. Assume that the free-electron concentration remains practically unchanged over this range.
(a) Starting from suitable microscopic relations, show that the percentage change in resistivity of a metal can be expressed as the negative of the percentage change in the mobility of its charge carriers, provided the carrier concentration is constant.
(b) Using the given data, estimate the percentage change in the mobility of electrons in copper between 300K and 330K.
(c) Briefly comment on how this change in mobility is likely to affect the current-carrying capability of copper conductors in high-temperature environments.