The electrical resistance of an electrical conductor is the opposition to the passage of an electric current through that conductor. The inverse quantity is electrical conductance, the ease with which an electric current passes. Electrical resistance shares some conceptual parallels with the mechanical notion of friction. The SI unit of electrical resistance is the ohm (Ω), while electrical conductance is measured in siemens (S). An object of uniform cross section has a resistance proportional to its resistivity and length and inversely proportional to its cross-sectional area. All materials show some resistance, except for superconductors, which have a resistance of zero. The resistance (R) of an object is defined as the ratio of voltage across it (V) to current through it (I), while the conductance (G) is the inverse:

R = {V\over I}, \qquad G = {I\over V}, \qquad G = \frac{1}{R}

For a wide variety of materials and conditions, V and I are directly proportional to each other, and therefore R and G are constant (although they can depend on other factors like temperature or strain). This proportionality is calledOhm’s law, and materials that satisfy it are called “Ohmic” materials. In other cases, such as a diode or batteryV and I are not directly proportional, or in other words the I–V curve is not a straight line through the origin, and Ohm’s law does not hold. In this case, resistance and conductance are less useful concepts, and more difficult to define. The ratio V/I is sometimes still useful, and is referred to as a “chordal resistance” or “static resistance”,[1][2] as it corresponds to the inverse slope of a chord between the origin and an I–V curve. In other situations, the derivative  \frac{dV}{dI} \,\! may be most useful; this is called the “differential resistance”.



In the hydraulic analogy, current flowing through a wire (or resistor) is like water flowing through a pipe, and the voltage drop across the wire is like the pressure drop that pushes water through the pipe. Conductance is proportional to how much flow occurs for a given pressure, and resistance is proportional to how much pressure is required to achieve a given flow. (Conductance and resistance are reciprocals.) The voltage drop (i.e., difference in voltage between one side of the resistor and the other), not the voltage itself, provides the driving force pushing current through a resistor. In hydraulics, it is similar: The pressure differencebetween two sides of a pipe, not the pressure itself, determines the flow through it. For example, there may be a large water pressure above the pipe, which tries to push water down through the pipe. But there may be an equally large water pressure below the pipe, which tries to push water back up through the pipe. If these pressures are equal, no water flows. (In the image at right, the water pressure below the pipe is zero.) Two properties—geometry (shape) and material—mostly determine the resistance and conductance of a wire, resistor, or other element. Geometry is important because it is more difficult to push water through a long, narrow pipe than a wide, short pipe. In the same way, a long, thin copper wire has higher resistance (lower conductance) than a short, thick copper wire. Materials are important as well. A pipe filled with hair restricts the flow of water more than a clean pipe of the same shape and size. In a similar way, electrons can flow freely and easily through a copper wire, but cannot as easily flow through a steel wire of the same shape and size, and they essentially cannot flow at all through an insulator like rubber, regardless of its shape. The difference between, copper, steel, and rubber is related to their microscopic structure and electron configuration, and is quantified by a property called resistivity.

Conductors and resistors

A 65 Ω resistor, as identified by itselectronic color code (blue–green–black-gold). An ohmmeter could be used to verify this value.


Ohm’s law[edit]

The current-voltage characteristics of four devices: Two resistors, a diode, and a battery. The horizontal axis is voltage drop, the vertical axis is current. Ohm’s law is satisfied when the graph is a straight line through the origin. Therefore, the two resistors are “ohmic”, but the diode and battery are not.


V \propto I

(V is directly proportional to I). This law is not always true: For example, it is false for diodesbatteries, etc. However, it is true to a very good approximation for wires and resistors(assuming that other conditions, including temperature, are held fixed). Materials or objects where Ohm’s law is true are called ohmic, whereas objects that do not obey Ohm’s law arenon-ohmic.

Relation to resistivity and conductivity

A piece of resistive material with electrical contacts on both ends.


R = \rho \frac{\ell}{A},
G= \sigma \frac{A}{\ell}.

where \ell is the length of the conductor, measured in metres [m], A is the cross-section area of the conductor measured in square metres [m²], σ (sigma) is the electrical conductivity measured in siemens per meter (S·m−1), and ρ (rho) is the electrical resistivity (also called specific electrical resistance) of the material, measured in ohm-metres (Ω·m). The resistivity and conductivity are proportionality constants, and therefore depend only on the material the wire is made of, not the geometry of the wire. Resistivity and conductivity are reciprocals\rho=1/\sigma. Resistivity is a measure of the material’s ability to oppose electric current. This formula is not exact: It assumes the current density is totally uniform in the conductor, which is not always true in practical situations. However, this formula still provides a good approximation for long thin conductors such as wires. Another situation for which this formula is not exact is with alternating current (AC), because the skin effect inhibits current flow near the center of the conductor. Then, the geometrical cross-section is different from the effectivecross-section in which current actually flows, so resistance is higher than expected. Similarly, if two conductors near each other carry AC current, their resistances increase due to the proximity effect. At commercial power frequency, these effects are significant for large conductors carrying large currents, such as busbars in an electrical substation,[3] or large power cables carrying more than a few hundred amperes.

What determines resistivity?


Measuring resistance


Typical resistances

Component Resistance (Ω)
1 meter of copper wire with 1mm diameter 0.02[4]
1 km overhead power line (typical) 0.03[5]
AA battery (typical internal resistance) 0.1[6]
Incandescent light bulb filament (typical) 200-1000[7]
Human body 1000 to 100,000[8]

Static and differential resistance

Differential versus chordal resistance
The IV curve of a non-ohmic device (purple). The static resistance at point A is the inverse slope of line Bthrough the origin. The differential resistance at A is the inverse slope of tangent line C.
Negative differential resistance
The IV curve of a component withnegative differential resistance, an unusual phenomenon where the IV curve is non-monotonic.

Many electrical elements, such as diodes and batteries do not satisfy Ohm’s law. These are called non-ohmic or nonlinear, and are characterized by an I–V curve, which is not a straight line through the origin. Resistance and conductance can still be defined for non-ohmic elements. However, unlike ohmic resistance, nonlinear resistance is not constant but varies with the voltage or current through the device; its operating point. There are two types:[1][2]

  • Static resistance (also called chordal or DC resistance) – This corresponds to the usual definition of resistance; the voltage divided by the current
It is the slope of the line (chord} from the origin through the point on the curve. Static resistance determines the power dissipation in an electrical component. Points on the IV curve located in the 2nd or 4th quadrants, for which the slope of the chordal line is negative, have negative static resistancePassive devices, which have no source of energy, cannot have negative static resistance. However active devices such as transistors or op-amps can synthesize negative static resistance with feedback, and it is used in some circuits such as gyrators.
  • Differential resistance (also called dynamicincremental or small signal resistance) – Differential resistance is the derivative of the voltage with respect to the current; the slope of the IV curve at a point

AC circuits

Impedance and admittance[edit]







where R and G are resistance and conductance respectively, X is reactance, and B is susceptance. For ideal resistors, Z and Y reduce to R and G respectively, but for AC networks containing capacitors andinductorsX and B are nonzero. Z=1/Y for AC circuits, just as R=1/G for DC circuits.

Frequency dependence of resistance

Another complication of AC circuits is that the resistance and conductance can be frequency-dependent. One reason, mentioned above is the skin effect (and the related proximity effect). Another reason is that the resistivity itself may depend on frequency (seeDrude modeldeep-level trapsresonant frequencyKramers–Kronig relations, etc.)

Energy dissipation and Joule heating


Resistors (and other elements with resistance) oppose the flow of electric current; therefore, electrical energy is required to push current through the resistance. This electrical energy is dissipated, heating the resistor in the process. This is called Joule heating (after James Prescott Joule), also called ohmic heating or resistive heating. The dissipation of electrical energy is often undesired, particularly in the case of transmission losses in power linesHigh voltage transmission helps reduce the losses by reducing the current for a given power. On the other hand, Joule heating is sometimes useful, for example in electric stoves and other electric heaters (also called resistive heaters). As another example, incandescent lamps rely on Joule heating: the filament is heated to such a high temperature that it glows “white hot” with thermal radiation (also called incandescence). The formula for Joule heating is:



Dependence of resistance on other conditions

Temperature dependence




Strain dependence


Light illumination dependence

Some resistors, particularly those made from semiconductors, exhibit photoconductivity, meaning that their resistance changes when light is shining on them. Therefore they are called photoresistors (or light dependent resistors). These are a common type of light detector.



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