What is the resistivity of water?
GeneralClass 12AllAnswered 27 Mar 2026
Answer
The resistivity of water varies dramatically based on purity:
- Pure (distilled) water: approximately 2.5 × 10⁵ Ω·m (high resistivity, poor conductor)
- Tap water: approximately 20-200 Ω·m
- Seawater: approximately 0.2 Ω·m (low resistivity due to dissolved salts)
Pure water is actually a poor conductor. It's the dissolved ions and minerals that make ordinary water conductive, which is why tap water and seawater conduct electricity much better than distilled water.
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