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These resources have been reviewed and selected by STEM Learning’s team of education specialists for factual accuracy and relevance to teaching STEM subjects in UK schools.

Episode 110: Resistance and Temperature

From the Institute of Physics, this learning episode looks at the resistance of a metal and a semiconductor, giving a microscopic explanation of how resistance can vary with temperature. There is also a brief look at superconductivity and its applications.

The activities include:
• using a filament lamp as the example, a discussion of how temperature may affect resistance
• a description of resistance and the free-electron model in metals and semi-conductors
• investigating the temperature dependence of the resistance of a thermistor
• a discussion and demonstration of conduction in semiconductors
• discussing and researching superconductivity
• student questions, with answers provided

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