Molly Ayala
Electrical conductors are materials that allow electricity to flow through them in more than one direction with little resistance. They are essential for using electrical devices at home and work. Electrical charge carriers, usually electrons or charged ions, move easily from atom to atom when voltage is applied. Most metals like copper are considered good conductors, while non-metals are considered insulators. Pure elemental silver is one of the best electrical conductors. The resistance of a conductor depends on the material it is made of and its dimensions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | A substance or material that allows electricity to flow through it |
| Charge carriers | Usually electrons or charged ions |
| Direction of flow | In one or more directions |
| Examples | Metals, metal alloys, electrolytes, some non-metals (e.g. graphite), liquids (e.g. saltwater) |
| Resistance | Low resistance, high thermal conductivity |
| Magnetic field | Does not store energy |
| Potential | Both ends of the conductor are at the same potential |
| Electric field | Has a zero charge density, ensuring that positive and negative charges cancel each other |
| Temperature | Affects performance; higher temperatures decrease conductivity |
| Superconductors | No resistance, can carry a potentially unlimited amount of current |
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What You'll Learn
What are electrical conductors used for?
Electrical conductors are materials that allow electricity to flow through them with little resistance. They are used to enable the use of electrical devices at home and work.
Electrical conductors are used to transmit electricity or heat. They are used to deliver an electrical current to devices and appliances. Conductors are also used to pass electricity from one point to another in parts of appliances.
In a conductor, electrical charge carriers, usually electrons or charged ions, move easily from atom to atom when voltage is applied. The flow of negatively charged electrons generates an electric current. The charged particle simply needs to nudge its neighbour a finite amount, who will nudge its neighbour, and so on, until a particle is nudged into the consumer, thus powering it.
Electrons are the primary mover in metals. However, other devices, such as the cationic electrolytes of a battery, rely on positive charge carriers. The resistance of a given conductor depends on the material it is made of and its dimensions. For a given material, the resistance is inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area and proportional to the length.
Metals are good electrical conductors because they have a pool of electrons that are loosely attached to atoms and are free to move. The more free electrons present in a metal, the greater its conductivity. Pure elemental silver is one of the best electrical conductors, followed by copper and then gold. However, as silver is far more expensive than copper, copper is used in household appliances and circuits.
Some non-metals are also good electrical conductors, such as carbon in the form of graphite. In the metals, a pool of electrons is available to transfer the electricity.
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How do electrical conductors work?
Electrical conductors are materials that allow electricity to flow through them in more than one direction with little resistance. They are used to help electricity travel from the socket to a device.
Electrical conductivity depends on electron movement. The more free electrons present in a material, the greater its conductivity. In metals, for example, electrons are free to move, allowing electricity to flow through them easily. This is why metals are used as conductors most often. The best electrical conductors are copper, iron and steel, while silver and aluminium are also good conductors. Silver is thought to be the best conductor of electricity, but its price makes it impractical for use in electric cables.
The flow of negatively charged electrons generates an electric current. To create this current, one charged particle does not need to travel from the component producing the current to those consuming it. Instead, the charged particle simply needs to nudge its neighbour a finite amount, who will nudge its neighbour, and so on, until a particle is nudged into the consumer, thus powering it. This is known as a long chain of momentum transfer between mobile charge carriers.
The resistance of a conductor depends on the material it is made of, and its dimensions. For a given material, the resistance is inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area. For example, a thick copper wire has lower resistance than a thin copper wire. The length of the material also affects its performance, with longer materials having higher resistance than shorter ones. The temperature of a conductor also has a significant effect on its efficacy. As temperatures increase, the vibration in conductor molecules increases, disrupting the path of electrons and decreasing the material's conductivity.
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What materials are electrical conductors?
Electrical conductors are materials that allow electricity to flow through them. They are substances in which electrons, the carriers of electric charge, are abundantly available and free to move.
Most metals are good electrical conductors. This is because they have a pool of electrons in the outer layer of their atoms that are freely shared. The best electrical conductor under ordinary temperature and pressure conditions is the metallic element silver. However, silver is rarely used in electrical equipment due to its rarity and cost. Copper is the most common electrical conductor used today. Other good electrical conductors include aluminium, graphite, and some liquids, such as saltwater.
The opposite of a conductor is an insulator, which resists the flow of electricity. Examples of insulators include glass, air, paper, and rubber.
The length, size, and temperature of a conductor also affect its ability to conduct electricity. Longer conductors have higher resistance, and shorter conductors have lower resistance. Similarly, thinner conductors have more resistance than thicker conductors. Conductors with a larger cross-sectional area conduct better. Temperature also affects the efficacy of conductors. As temperature increases, so does resistance.
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What are some examples of electrical conductors?
A conductor is a substance or material that allows electricity to flow through it. In a conductor, electrical charge carriers, usually electrons or charged ions, move easily from atom to atom when voltage is applied.
Electrical conductors are the materials in which a pool of electrons is available and these electrons are free to move and are not bonded tightly to their atoms. These electrons are the carriers of electric charge from one end to another.
Now, let's look at some examples of electrical conductors:
Metals
Metals are good electrical conductors. This is because they have a pool of electrons that are loosely attached to atoms and are free to move. Examples of metals that are good electrical conductors include:
- Silver
- Copper
- Gold
- Aluminium
- Iron
Metal Alloys
Metal alloys are also good electrical conductors. Superconductors, for example, are metal alloys that, when cooled below a certain threshold temperature, lose their electrical resistance property and become superconductors. Examples of superconductors include:
- Niobium
- Cuprate
- Magnesium
- Diboride
Non-Metals
While most non-metals are not good electrical conductors, some non-metals exhibit electrical conductivity. For example:
- Carbon in the form of graphite is an excellent electrical conductor. This is because only three of the four carbon atoms are used for bonding, leaving one electron free for bonding.
- Saltwater is an ionic solution and a good electrical conductor.
Liquids
Some liquids are also good electrical conductors. For example, a saturated salt water solution conducts electricity well.
Humans
Since the human body is mostly water, we are also good conductors of electricity. This is why touching someone who is experiencing an electric shock will cause the toucher to experience the same shock.
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What is the difference between a conductor and an insulator?
A conductor is a substance or material that allows electricity to flow through it. In a conductor, electrical charge carriers, usually electrons or charged ions, move easily from atom to atom when voltage is applied. Materials made of metal are common electrical conductors. The flow of negatively charged electrons generates an electric current, positively charged holes, and positive or negative ions in some cases.
Conductors have low resistance and high thermal conductivity. A conductor placed in a magnetic field does not store energy. Both ends of the conductor are at the same potential. Electricity flows through the conductor when the potential is changed at one end, which allows electrons to start flowing from one end to another. The resistance of a given conductor depends on the material it is made of, and on its dimensions. For a given material, the resistance is inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area. For example, a thick copper wire has lower resistance than an otherwise-identical thin copper wire.
An insulator, on the other hand, is a non-conducting material with few mobile charges that support only insignificant electric currents. Insulators do not let electrons or charges flow. They resist or do not allow the current to flow through them. They are used in circuit boards and high-voltage systems, as well as in coating electric wire and cables. They are also used as protectors against heat, sound, and the passage of electricity. Wood, cloth, glass, mica, and quartz are some good examples of insulators.
The property that makes insulators different from conductors is resistivity. Insulators do not have any free electrons, which is the main reason they do not conduct electricity. The temperature also has a significant effect on the efficacy of conductors. Temperature affects conductors in two main ways. Firstly, materials may expand under the application of heat. Secondly, an increase in temperature will also increase the number of phonons generated within the material. A phonon is a small, harmonic kinetic movement of the atoms of the material, which disrupts the path of electrons, causing them to scatter. This electron scattering will decrease the number of electron collisions and therefore the total amount of current transferred.
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Frequently asked questions
An electrical conductor is a substance or material that allows electricity to flow through it.
Electrical conductors have a pool of electrons that are free to move and are not bonded tightly to their atoms. When voltage is applied, these electrons move from atom to atom, carrying the electric charge.
Metals are good electrical conductors, with common examples including copper, silver, and gold. Some non-metals, like graphite, are also good electrical conductors. In addition, certain liquids, such as saltwater, can exhibit high electrical conductivity.
Conductors allow electricity to flow through them with little resistance, while insulators have high resistance and do not permit the easy flow of electric charge due to a lack of mobile charges.
