Answer to Question #176240 in Physics for Hannah

Question

Discuss the differences between the behaviour of the thermistor material and a typical metal as the temperature increases. Include consideration of the number of charge carriers and the drift velocity of the electrons.

Answer 1

The resistance of a typical metal conductor increases with the growth of temperature, while thermistors can change resistance at different rate (PTC-thermistors) or even reduce its value (NTC-thermistors).

The drift velocity of electrons decreases for metals when they are heated, but for some types of thermistors their speed and concentration increases as they pass to conduction band.