How to Test Conductivity With a Voltage Tester
Test the conductivity of a material to determine how well it transports electricity compared to other objects. Metals in particular make great conductors, while plastics do not. Make a conductivity test while the object, such as a metal bar, has electricity flowing though it. In the case of a device in a circuit, make sure power to the circuit is turned on. Conductivity depends on the length and area of the material as viewed from the side the electricity enters. The resistance, or how well the object limits current flow, is also needed.
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Instructions
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Turn on the voltage tester. Touch the probes of the voltage tester to opposite ends of the test object. Record the voltage in volts. For example, the voltage might be 5.0 volts.
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Divide the voltage by the current, in amps, flowing through the circuit to get the resistance of the object in ohms. Assume a current of 0.5 amps as an example. Performing this step leads to 5.0 volts divided by 0.5 amps, or a resistance of 10.0 ohms.
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Measure the length, width and height of the object in inches. For example, say the object has a length of 15.0 inches, a width of 2.0 inches and a height of 2.0 inches.
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Convert the dimensions of the object to meters by dividing each by 39.37, since a meter contains 39.37 inches. Continuing the exercise, you have a length of 0.38 meter, a width of 0.05 meter and height of 0.05 meter.
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Multiply the width by the height to obtain the side area of the object in square meters. Performing this step yields 0.05 meter times 0.05 meter, or an area of 0.0025 square meters.
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Multiply the resistance by the area. Call this result "X." Then for "x," you have 10.0 ohms times 0.0025 square meters, which equals 0.025 ohm times square meter.
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Divide the length of the object by "X" to obtain the conductivity of the material in units of inverse ohm times meter. Completing the exercise leads to 0.38 meter divided by 0.025 ohm times square meter, which equals a conductivity of 15.2 per ohm per meter.
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Tips & Warnings
Perform calculations with metric units to get correct results in scientific formulas.
