resistivity

[ ree-zis-tiv-i-tee ]

noun
  1. the power or property of resistance.

  2. Also called specific resistance. Electricity. the resistance between opposite faces of a one-centimeter cube of a given material; ratio of electric intensity to cross-sectional area; reciprocal of conductivity.

Origin of resistivity

1
First recorded in 1880–85; resistive + -ity

Words Nearby resistivity

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How to use resistivity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for resistivity

resistivity

/ (ˌriːzɪsˈtɪvɪtɪ) /


noun
  1. the electrical property of a material that determines the resistance of a piece of given dimensions. It is equal to RA/l, where R is the resistance, A the cross-sectional area, and l the length, and is the reciprocal of conductivity. It is measured in ohms: Symbol: ρ Former name: specific resistance

  2. the power or capacity to resist; resistance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for resistivity

resistivity

[ rē′zĭs-tĭvĭ-tē ]


  1. A measure of the potential electrical resistance of a conductive material. It is determined experimentally using the equation ρ = RA/l, where R is the measured resistance of some length of the material, A is its cross-sectional area (which must be uniform), and l is its length. It is measured in ohm-meters.

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