SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/eng-metal-resistance-temperature

What happens to the resistance of a copper wire as it gets hotter?

It goes up; atoms vibrate more and get in the electrons' way.

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  1. It goes down
  2. It stays exactly the same
  3. It goes up ✔

Why: In a metal, heat makes the atoms jiggle more, so moving electrons collide more often. More collisions means higher resistivity.

Huh, didn't know that: A cold incandescent bulb filament has much lower resistance than a hot one, so it draws a big surge of current at switch-on.

The dad joke
Why did the copper wire get grumpy in summer? The heat made it more resistant.
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References

Answer: It goes up. In a metal, heat makes the atoms jiggle more, so moving electrons collide more often. More collisions means higher resistivity.

  1. OpenStax College Physics 2e, 20.3 Resistance and Resistivity openstax.org/books/college-physics-2e/pages/20-3-resistance-and-resistivity
    the resistivity of conductors increases with increasing temperature
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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