Hot and Cold Experiment: Temperature and Resistance of Electronic Materials

The Materials Science and Technology Teacher's Workshop (MAST) provides this lesson plan which will help students understand how temperature affects the conductivity, or resistance, of a variety of electrical materials and devices. The basic scientific principles of heat, metals and semiconductors is outlined. The instructor will set up five beakers of water at a variety of temperatures. The class will then measure the resistance of each device after immersion in the water. The lesson should take around one hour to complete. Discussion questions and teacher notes are included in the lesson plan.