The Electrical Resistance and the Critical Point of Mercury

Abstract

Values are given for the relative resistance, the instantaneous pressure coefficient of resistance and the instantaneous temperature coefficient of resistance of liquid mercury in the region between 0° and 1200°C, and 1 and 4000 atmospheres. All of these quantities increase with rising temperature and decrease with rising pressure in this region. With the assumption that the resistance must be a continuous function of the temperature, for pressures higher than the critical pressure, the critical constants of mercury have been determined as 1460±20°C and 1640±50 kg/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$.