At room temperature (), the resistance of a heating element is . If the temperature coefficient of the material is , find the temperature of the element when its resistance is :
- A
- B
- C
- D
At room temperature (), the resistance of a heating element is . If the temperature coefficient of the material is , find the temperature of the element when its resistance is :
Correct answer:B
Standard Method
Given: Initial resistance , final resistance , temperature coefficient , and initial temperature .
Find: The temperature of the element when its resistance becomes .
Use the relation between resistance and temperature:
Substituting the given values:
Now calculate the final temperature:
Therefore, the temperature of the element is . The correct option is B.
Direct Rearrangement
Given: , , , and .
Find: Final temperature .
Rearrange the formula directly:
Substitute the values:
Then,
This shortcut works because the resistance change is linear with temperature for small temperature coefficients. Therefore, the correct option is B.
Using instead of directly in is incorrect because the formula uses change in temperature from the reference temperature. First find , then add the initial temperature .
Forgetting to add the initial temperature after calculating gives the wrong final answer. is only the rise in temperature, not the actual temperature of the element.
Substituting the temperature coefficient incorrectly as instead of changes the result by a factor of . Carefully preserve the power of before solving.
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