Resistance of a Wire experiment

[Peter G.]

Hi,

I have to come up with five limitations in my experiment in order to then explain them. This is the first time I do this, so some of my suggestions might seem absurd.

The experiment was the following: I had a power pack connected to an ammeter in series, a nichrome wire, a voltmeter in parallel to the wire in question and a variable resistor to keep the current constant. Using crocodile clips, I altered the length of the wire, in order to investigate its effect on the resistance.

The five limitations I have so far came up with (and please don't give away any if I haven't yet acknowledged it):

1. The fact that, as the wire got shorter and therefore the resistance greater, I could not keep the wire from heating up

2. The wire I was using had a tendency to wind up, diminishing my precision and accuracy in measuring the length

3. My crocodile clips were slightly rusty, which could have affected its ability to conduct electricity

4. I did not use ideal voltmeters and ammeters

5. In the parallel branch linking the wire in question and the voltmeter could have had some resistance of which I could not account for

Are those ok or not realistic?

Thanks,
Peter G.

 

[jbsteele]

The limitations that you have provided are realistic and may be encountered in your experiment. It's important to consider all possible sources of error in experiments such as these, so that when you come to analyze the data, you are confident that it is accurate. Additionally, you may want to consider other factors that could affect the accuracy of the results, such as fluctuations in the power supply, or the fact that the voltage and current readings may not be 100% accurate due to the instruments you were using.