Which component's behavior is primarily affected by temperature?

The behavior of a thermistor is primarily affected by temperature due to its construction and the materials used to make it. Thermistors are temperature-sensitive resistors designed to change their resistance with temperature fluctuations. Typically, they are made from semiconductor materials which exhibit a significant change in resistivity with temperature changes. For example, negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistors decrease in resistance as temperature increases, whereas positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistors increase in resistance with temperature.

This temperature-dependence property makes thermistors particularly useful in temperature sensing and control applications, such as in thermometers, temperature compensation circuits, and other electronic devices that require temperature monitoring.

In contrast, while capacitors, inductors, and resistors can also be influenced by temperature, their primary functions do not hinge on that variable. Capacitors mainly store electrical energy, inductors store energy in a magnetic field, and resistors are predominantly used to limit current or set signal levels, with their resistance being more stable and predictable under varying temperature conditions. Thus, the significant and direct relationship between a thermistor’s resistance and temperature is what sets it apart in this context.