JOSHUA NZOMO KIIMA

BTEE/271J/2020
ASSIGNMENT 3
MATERIAL SCIENCE
WHY COPPER IS A BETTER CONDUCTOR THAN:
1. Iron
Copper has low resistivity compared to iron therefore making it a better conductor than iron
which has a relatively high resistivity. Copper has four orbital electrons that can roam freely
because all 3d electrons are paired and act as a shield from the nucleus. Iron’s outermost shell is
filled with 2 electrons and the 3d shell is not filled. The 3 rd electrons do not roam as free as 4s
electrons. Copper also has more count of electrons than iron.
2. Aluminum
The resistivity in aluminum is rather higher than that of copper. The bigger the resistance, the
harder we have to push. Therefore, current flows easily through copper thanks to its small
resistance, without much loss of energy.
However, copper is much heavier than aluminum hence making it used in most cases of
electrical conductivity.
3. Sodium
Copper has a larger charge (more electrons) and the electrons cloud are more compress to the
nucleus (small atomic radius) compared to sodium. So the density of copper in terms of electrons
larger than that of sodium hence making copper a better conductor. The nine outer electrons in
copper also makes it a better conductor to sodium which has a one valence electron.