1.
[syn: constantan, Eureka]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
constantan \constantan\ n.
a copper-nickel alloy composed of approximately 55 per cent
copper and 45 per cent nickel, with high electrical
resistance and a low temperature coefficient; it is used as
resistance wire and in thermocouples.
Note: It has a resistance factor [rho] of 44.1 x 10^-6
ohm-cm at 0[deg] C, in comparison to the value 1.71 x
10^-6 ohm-cm for pure copper and 7.8 x 10^-6 ohm-cm
for pure nickel. It is similar to the alloy Eureka,
which has a [rho] = 47 x 10^-6 ohm-cm. --Handbook of
Ch. 61.
[WordNet 1.5 +PJC]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
constantan
n 1: an alloy of copper and nickel with high electrical
resistance and a low temperature coefficient; used as
resistance wire [syn: constantan, Eureka]