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Advantages And Disadvantages Of Plastics

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Introduction: First of all, the fundamental basis for much of modern life is the fact that electrical charge flows through a material carried by electrons. For the most part, materials that effectively conduct electricity-- conductors-- are ones that allow electrons to flow freely through them due to their crystalline structure. Materials that restrict the movement of electrons are often classified as insulators; however, the resistivity of substances is not black and white. Instead, it exists as a spectrum between total blockage and no blockage, with many materials lying in between being an insulator and being a conductor. Although the majority of electrons in these atoms stay in place, some move through the material taking the …show more content…

Of course, many factors must be taken into account when choosing the material(s) when producing resistors, including: voltage stress, thermal effects, lifetime, etc. Whether or not the resistor is being used to decrease voltage, produce heat, and/or produce light dictates what you use to measure the efficiency of the resistor. These measurements can range from resistivity(ohms) to temperature(F) even to brightness(lumens) (Kostic, 2013). Due to the fact that in many circuits resistors are primarily used for current limiters, this experiment will measure the resistivity of the resistor in ohms. In order to accurately measure the resistance provided by the different substances we will be using a device called a digital multimeter. A digital multimeter is a device used to calculate volt, amps, and ohms. If the molecular length increases, then the resistivity of the resistor should increase if resistivity is a function of molecular length. Due to the fact that resistivity affects current applied to electronic devices, this experiment will utilize an L.E.D. after the resistor for qualitative data. Throughout the history of electronics, many different materials have been used in resistors, mainly varying

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