What happens to the resistance of a wire as its temperature increases?

When a wire heats up, the temperature increase generally causes the resistance to rise. This is largely due to the fact that, as temperature increases, the atoms within the metal lattice vibrate more vigorously. These increased vibrations lead to more collisions between the electrons flowing through the conductor and the vibrating atoms, which impedes the flow of electricity. Therefore, as the temperature of a wire increases, the resistance also increases.

In typical conductive materials like metals, resistance serves as a measure of how difficult it is for electric current to flow through that material. With rising temperatures, the increase in atomic motion means a higher likelihood of these collisions occurring, which contributes to an increase in resistance. This phenomenon is significant in many applications, especially in electrical engineering and thermodynamics, as it impacts the performance and safety of electrical circuits.