What occurs to the resistance of a material with a negative temperature coefficient as temperature increases?

When considering materials with a negative temperature coefficient (NTC), the resistance of these materials decreases as temperature increases. This behavior is characteristic of semiconductors and certain types of thermistors, which are commonly used in temperature sensing and circuit protection applications.

In these materials, as the temperature rises, the thermal energy provides more energy to the charge carriers (such as electrons), allowing them to move more freely. This increased mobility of charge carriers leads to a reduction in resistance. Therefore, with an increase in temperature, the material becomes more conductive, resulting in lower resistance.

The understanding of how the resistance behaves in response to temperature is crucial for applications involving temperature sensors and circuit designs where fine control of current is necessary.