Temperature Coefficient of Resistance Formula |
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| \( R \;=\; R_{ref} \cdot [\; 1+ \alpha \cdot ( T - T_{ref} ) \; ] \) | ||
| Symbol | English | Metric |
| \( R \) = Resistance at Temperature \(T\) | \(\Omega\) | \(\Omega\) |
| \( R_{ref} \) = Resistance at Reference Temperature | \(\Omega\) | \(\Omega\) |
| \( \alpha \) (Greek symbol alpha) = Temperature Coefficient of Resistance of the Material | \(^{\circ} F\) | \(^{\circ} C\) |
| \(T \) = Material Temperature in Celcius | \(^{\circ} F\) | \(^{\circ} C\) |
| \( T_{ref} \) = Reference Temperature for which the Temperature Coefficient is Specified | \(^{\circ} F\) | \(^{\circ} C\) |
Temperature coefficient of resistance, abbreviated as \(TCR\), is a material-specific parameter that describes the relative change in the electrical resistance of a conductor, semiconductor, or resistor per unit change in temperature. It quantifies how sensitive a material’s resistance is to temperature variations, with positive values (common in metals like copper and tungsten) indicating that resistance increases with rising temperature due to enhanced lattice vibrations that scatter electrons, while negative values (typical in semiconductors and carbon-based materials) mean resistance decreases as temperature rises because thermal energy excites more charge carriers.
Temperature Coefficient of Resistance Material |
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| Material / Substance | Temperature coefficient of resistance / °C (at 20 °C) |
| Aluminum | 0.00429 |
| Brass | 0.0015 |
| Carbon | -0.0005 |
| Constantan | 0.00003 |
| Copper | 0.00386 |
| Germanium | -0.05 |
| Gold | 0.0034 |
| Iron | 0.00651 |
| Manganese | 0.00001 |
| Manganin | 0.000002 |
| Mercury | 0.0009 |
| Nichrome | 0.0004 |
| Nickel | 0.00641 |
| Platinum | 0.003927 |
| Silicon | -0.07 |
| Silver | 0.0038 |
| Tantalum | 0.0033 |
| Tin | 0.0042 |
| Tungsten | 0.0045 |
| Zinc | 0.0037 |