Beatrice Lang
Conductors are materials that allow electricity to flow through them with little resistance. They are essential for electrical devices to work. The electrons in conductors can move freely, allowing electricity to pass through with ease. Metals are the most common conductors, with copper being the best, but other materials such as metal alloys, electrolytes, and some non-metals like graphite and liquids can also conduct electricity. The quality of conduction depends on the material and its dimensions, with lower resistance allowing for a larger current.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | A conductor is a material that allows electricity to flow through it in more than one direction with little resistance. |
| Importance | Conductors are important because without them, we wouldn't be able to use any electrical devices at all. |
| Examples of Conductors | Silver, Copper, Gold, Aluminium, Iron, Steel, Ionic solutions, Graphite, Metals, Metal alloys, Electrolytes, Liquids |
| Examples of Insulators | Glass, Air, Plastic, Rubber, Wood |
| Resistance | The ampacity of a conductor (the amount of current it can carry) is related to its electrical resistance. A lower-resistance conductor can carry a larger value of current. |
| Temperature | Temperature affects conductors in two main ways: materials may expand under the application of heat, and higher temperatures cause increased vibration in conductor molecules, which hampers the smooth flow of electrons. |
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What You'll Learn
Metals are the most common conductors
A conductor is a material that allows electricity to flow through it with little resistance. Metals are the most common conductors of electricity due to their unique atomic structure, which allows for the easy flow of electrons.
Metals have a high density of free electrons due to the large number of valence electrons they possess. This contributes to their high conductivity. The outermost electrons in the valence band of a metal are only loosely attached to the atom and are free to move throughout the entire metal structure. This is due to the metallic bonding between the metal atoms, where the outer electrons are shared between all the atoms in a metallic crystal lattice.
This ""sea of electrons"" enables electrons to move freely through the material, carrying an electric current. When a voltage is applied to a metal, the electrons can easily move through the material, allowing electricity to flow with little resistance. This is why metals are used as conductors most often and are essential for electrical wiring.
Some metals are better conductors than others. For example, silver is considered the best conductor of electricity due to its high conductivity and large number of electrons. However, its price makes it impractical for use in electric cables. Copper is the most commonly used metal for electrical wiring, despite being one of the pricier options. It is the international standard for conductivity, with 29 electrons. Aluminium is also a good conductor and is sometimes used in place of copper due to its lower cost and sufficient conductivity.
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Silver is the best conductor
A conductor is a material that allows electricity to flow through it with little resistance. The flow of negatively charged electrons generates an electric current. Materials made of metal are common electrical conductors, and metals are generally considered the best conductors. This is because they allow electrons to flow easily between the atoms within the material.
Silver is considered the best conductor of electricity. Pure elemental silver has the highest electrical conductivity of all elements. It has 47 electrons, which means electricity can travel faster through it. Silver is 6% more conductive than copper, which is the international standard to which all other electrical conductors are compared.
However, silver is not commonly used as an electrical conductor due to its cost. It is also unstable and likely to tarnish over time, which reduces its conductivity. Instead, silver is used in specialized equipment, such as satellites, and as a thin plating to mitigate skin effect losses at high frequencies.
Other good electrical conductors include copper, iron, steel, aluminium, and gold. Copper is the most common metal used for electrical wiring due to its conductivity and ease of connection by soldering or clamping. However, it is relatively expensive and can tarnish and corrode easily. Aluminium is a good alternative to copper as it is a good conductor but is cheaper and has a lower density, making it twice as conductive by mass. Gold is also a good conductor and is valued for its chemical inertness, as it does not corrode or tarnish easily.
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Copper is the standard
A conductor is a material that allows electricity to flow through it in more than one direction with little resistance. The flow of negatively charged electrons generates an electric current. Materials made of metal are common electrical conductors.
Copper has a high conductivity. Annealed copper is the international standard to which all other electrical conductors are compared; the International Annealed Copper Standard conductivity is 58 MS/m, although ultra-pure copper can slightly exceed 101% IACS. The main grade of copper used for electrical applications, such as building wire, motor windings, cables and busbars, is electrolytic-tough pitch (ETP) copper (CW004A or ASTM designation C100140/C11040). If high-conductivity copper needs to be welded or brazed or used in a reducing atmosphere, then oxygen-free high-conductivity copper (CW008A or ASTM designation C10100) may be used. Because of its ease of connection by soldering or clamping, copper is still the most common choice for most light-gauge wires.
Silver is 6% more conductive than copper, but due to cost, it is not practical in most cases. However, it is used in specialized equipment, such as satellites, and as a thin plating to mitigate skin effect losses at high frequencies.
Aluminium is occasionally used in place of copper because it is cheaper while still being a good conductor. This is particularly the case in large applications when a lot of copper would be required. However, attempts to replace copper with aluminium in building wire were mostly abandoned when it was found that aluminium connections gradually loosened due to their inherent slow creep, combined with the high resistivity and heat generation of aluminium oxidation at joints.
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Aluminium is a good, affordable alternative
A conductor is a material that allows electricity to flow through it in more than one direction with little resistance. Materials with good conductivity allow the free flow of electricity since they offer little or no resistance to the flow of electrons, thus leading to high electrical current. Metals are the best conductors of electricity, and the most common metal in electric power transmission and distribution is aluminium wire.
Aluminium is a good conductor of electricity because its atoms own loosely bound electrons in the farthest energy level. These electrons are not tightly bound to individual atoms but are shared among a large number of atoms within a metallic lattice structure. When an electric volt is exposed across an aluminium conductor, such as a wire, the free electrons undergo an electric field causing the electrons to move and produce a flow of electrical current. The existence of these active electrons and their capacity to move throughout the lattice is what allows aluminium to conduct electricity.
Aluminium is also a good alternative because of its excellent conductivity-to-weight ratio. Its lower density makes it twice as conductive by mass, and it weighs half as much as an equivalent copper conductor. This makes it the preferred option for an increasing number of applications where electrical conduction is important, especially in industries where weight reduction is important, such as aerospace.
However, it is important to note that aluminium has some limitations as a conductor. It has a higher resistance, which means it can generate more heat when conducting the same amount of electrical current. It also forms a non-conductive oxide layer, which has to be broken during termination to avoid resistive losses and potential fires. Additionally, aluminium is more brittle, making it difficult to terminate properly, and it is not safe for movable applications.
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Conductivity and resistance
Conductivity is the capacity of a substance to transmit electricity or heat. A good conductor allows the free flow of electricity since it offers little or no resistance to the flow of electrons, thus leading to a high electrical current.
Electrons are loosely attached to the atoms in the valence band. When electrical current is applied, the electrons separate from the atoms and move into the conduction band, allowing them to move in any direction. A conductive material allows electricity to travel along it, but they can also make good insulators.
The best electrical conductors are typically metals, such as copper, iron and steel, although silver and aluminium are also good conductors. Silver is thought to be the best conductor of electricity due to its high conductivity and 47 electrons, which means electricity can travel faster through it. However, its price makes it impractical for use in electric cables, and it is more likely to be found in light switches, on-off switches, and LEDs in TVs. Copper is the most commonly used metal for electrical wiring, despite its relatively high price, and it contains 29 electrons.
The conductivity of a substance is measured in Siemens per metre (S/m), or more commonly, milliSiemens per metre (mS/m). The SI unit of electrical resistance is the ohm (Ω), while electrical conductance is measured in siemens (S).
Resistance is a measure of how strongly a substance resists electric current. The resistance of a conductor depends on the material it is made of and its dimensions. For example, a thick copper wire has lower resistance than a thin copper wire. The resistance of an object depends in large part on the material it is made of. Objects made of electrical insulators like rubber tend to have very high resistance, while objects made of electrical conductors like metals tend to have very low resistance.
The resistance of an object is also influenced by its size and shape. For instance, a wire's resistance is higher if it is long and thin, and lower if it is short and thick. All objects resist electrical current except for superconductors, which have zero resistance.
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Frequently asked questions
A conductor of electricity is a material that allows electricity to flow through it in one or more directions with little resistance.
Metals are the best electrical conductors, with the most common being copper, aluminium, and silver. Other good electrical conductors include gold, iron, and steel.
Conductivity refers to the capacity of a substance to transmit electricity or heat. The higher the conductivity, the lower the resistance, and the more easily electricity can flow through the material.
