Electric Resistivity Converter

About Electric Resistivity Conversion

Electric resistivity, also known as electrical resistivity or specific electrical resistance, is a fundamental property of a material that quantifies how strongly it opposes the flow of electric current. Unlike resistance, which depends on the physical dimensions of an object, resistivity is an intrinsic property of the material itself, independent of the object's size and shape.

Common Electric Resistivity Conversions

• 1 ohm meter (Ω·m) = 100 ohm centimeters (Ω·cm)
• 1 ohm centimeter (Ω·cm) = 0.01 ohm meter (Ω·m)
• 1 ohm meter (Ω·m) = 1,000,000 microohm meters (μΩ·m)
• 1 ohm meter (Ω·m) = 100,000,000 microohm centimeters (μΩ·cm)
• 1 ohm meter (Ω·m) = 1,000 milliohm meters (mΩ·m)
• 1 ohm meter (Ω·m) = 0.001 kilohm meters (kΩ·m)
• 1 ohm meter (Ω·m) = 0.000001 megaohm meters (MΩ·m)
• 1 ohm meter (Ω·m) = 1.11 × 10^-13 statohm centimeters (statΩ·cm)
• 1 statohm centimeter (statΩ·cm) = 8.99 × 10¹¹ ohm meters (Ω·m)
• 1 ohm meter (Ω·m) = 10¹¹ abohm centimeters (abΩ·cm)

Understanding Electric Resistivity

Electric resistivity (ρ) is defined as the electrical resistance of a conductor of unit cross-sectional area and unit length. The SI unit of resistivity is the ohm meter (Ω·m). In equation form, it is expressed as:

ρ = R × A/L

Where:

• ρ is the resistivity in ohm meters (Ω·m)
• R is the resistance in ohms (Ω)
• A is the cross-sectional area in square meters (m²)
• L is the length in meters (m)

Rearranging this equation shows that resistance can be calculated from resistivity as follows:

R = ρ × L/A

This relationship demonstrates that a material with higher resistivity will create more resistance for a given geometry.

Typical Resistivity Values of Materials

Material	Resistivity at 20°C (Ω·m)
Silver	1.59 × 10-8
Copper	1.68 × 10-8
Gold	2.44 × 10-8
Aluminum	2.82 × 10-8
Tungsten	5.60 × 10-8
Iron	1.0 × 10-7
Platinum	1.06 × 10-7
Mercury	9.8 × 10-7
Carbon (graphite)	3.5 × 10-5 to 8 × 10-5
Germanium (semiconductor)	0.46
Silicon (semiconductor)	2300
Drinking water	20 to 200
Glass	1010 to 1014
Hard rubber	1013
Pure water (theoretical)	1.8 × 105
Teflon	1022 to 1024

Applications of Electric Resistivity

Understanding and measuring electric resistivity is important in many fields:

• Electrical engineering (conductor selection, wire sizing)
• Materials science (material characterization, quality control)
• Semiconductor industry (doping levels, device fabrication)
• Geophysics (ground resistivity surveys, mineral exploration)
• Metallurgy (alloy composition, heat treatment effects)
• Corrosion engineering (corrosion monitoring, cathodic protection)
• Medical research (biological tissue characterization)

Factors Affecting Resistivity

Unlike resistance, resistivity is an intrinsic property of a material, but it can still be affected by several factors:

Temperature

For most metals, resistivity increases with temperature, following the relationship:

ρ(T) = ρ₀[1 + α(T - T₀)]

Where ρ₀ is the resistivity at reference temperature T₀ (usually 20°C), and α is the temperature coefficient of resistivity.

For semiconductors, resistivity generally decreases with increasing temperature, as more charge carriers become available.

Impurities and Defects

The presence of impurities or defects in a material's crystal structure can significantly increase its resistivity by disrupting the flow of electrons.

Mechanical Strain

Mechanical strain can change a material's resistivity, forming the basis for strain gauges and other mechanical sensing devices.

Resistivity vs. Conductivity

Electrical conductivity (σ) is the reciprocal of resistivity:

σ = 1/ρ

While resistivity measures how strongly a material opposes the flow of electric current, conductivity measures how readily a material allows the flow of electric current. The SI unit of conductivity is siemens per meter (S/m).

Our electric resistivity converter provides accurate conversions between all these units, making it easy to translate between different measurement systems for materials science, electrical engineering, and educational purposes.