What happens to the resistance of a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor as the temperature increases?

A negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor exhibits a unique behavior related to temperature changes. As the temperature increases, the resistance of an NTC thermistor decreases. This characteristic makes NTC thermistors useful in various applications, such as temperature sensing and inrush current limiting.

The principle behind this behavior lies in the material properties of the thermistor. As temperature rises, the thermal energy causes more charge carriers (usually electrons) to become available for conduction, thus reducing the resistance. This inverse relationship is essential for applications like temperature measurement, where the decrease in resistance with an increase in temperature can be precisely monitored and translated into a temperature reading.

In contrast, thermistors with positive temperature coefficients would behave oppositely, where resistance increases with temperature, but that is not applicable in this scenario.