resistivity

noun

re·​sis·​tiv·​i·​ty ri-ˌzi-ˈsti-və-tē 

ˌrē-

plural resistivities

1

: the longitudinal electrical resistance of a uniform rod of unit length and unit cross-sectional area : the reciprocal of conductivity

2

: capacity for resisting : resistance

Examples of resistivity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In recent years physicists have found a dozen or more materials that are clearly metals, in the sense that their electrical resistivity decreases with decreasing temperature, but that are not Fermi liquids. —Douglas Natelson, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2024

Last year the researchers used a combination of three scanning technologies — ground-penetrating radar, electrical resistivity tomography and seismic noise tomography — to generate three-dimensional images of what lay below. —Franz Lidz Meghan Dhaliwal, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2023

In order to calculate grounding resistance, engineers need to know the soil resistivity for the problem at hand and have a robust calculation method, like FEM. —IEEE Spectrum, 30 Dec. 2022

The researchers created a 3D model of Mitla’s subterranean passageways using a combination of three geophysical scanning technologies—ground penetrating radar, electrical resistivity tomography and seismic noise tomography—all of which left the archaeological site undisturbed. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

resistivity

noun

re·​sis·​tiv·​i·​ty ri-ˌzis-ˈtiv-ət-ē, ˌrē- 

plural resistivities

: the longitudinal electrical resistance of a uniform rod of unit length and unit cross-sectional area : the reciprocal of conductivity