Question

If the length of a conductor is halved, then its conductivity will be
A. halved
B. doubled
C. quadrupled
D. unchanged

Answer 1

Hint: The intrinsic property of a material is given as the property of material which is independent of how much of a material is there and also it is independent of the form of the material. Density is a common example for this. The density of material cannot be changed even if the amount of material is varied. Well, the intrinsic properties are dependent primarily on the fundamental chemical composition and their structure. This may help us in solving the question.
$C=\dfrac{l}{RA}$
Where $l$ the length of the conductor. $C=\dfrac{l}{RA}$

Complete step-by-step answer:
First of all let us discuss the property called conductivity. Conductivity is the property of a material which is given as the measure of how easily an electric charge or heat energy will pass through a material. A conductor is a material which is having a very little resistance or in ideal case no resistance at all, to the passing of an electric current or thermal energy. Materials have been classified based on this. They are metals, non-metals and semiconductors. Conductivity is considered to be an intrinsic property of a material. It is dependent only on the nature of substances but not on the dimensions of a conductor. Therefore the conductivity will be the same even if the length of the conductor is varied.

So, the correct answer is “Option D”.

Note: Common metals we know, like copper and aluminium, are having the highest thermal conductivity. But the materials like steel and bronze have the lowest conductivity. Thermal conductivity is a prime property when we fix the metal to be used for certain applications.