What happens to the resistance of a PTC thermistor with an increase in temperature?

A Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) thermistor exhibits a specific behavior regarding its resistance in response to temperature changes. As the temperature increases, the resistance of a PTC thermistor rises significantly. This characteristic makes PTC thermistors valuable in various applications, such as overcurrent protection and temperature sensing.

The operating principle behind this phenomenon is that, with an increase in temperature, the material's ability to conduct electricity diminishes. This rise in resistance is typically due to the thermal energy causing increased scattering of charge carriers within the material of the thermistor, leading to a decrease in current flow.

In practical applications, this property can be utilized to create circuit protection devices that automatically limit current in response to overheating conditions. As such, understanding how PTC thermistors work and their behavior in different temperature environments is crucial for their effective implementation in electrical circuits and devices in commercial food equipment and beyond.