ELECTRIC

CONDUCTIVITY
4A
? 3A
? 3A

1A
?
4A
?

4A 1A

1A
?
Electric Conductivity
 Its convers: Electrical resistivity
 Is a fundamental property of a material
that quantifies how strongly it resists or
conducts the flow of electric current.
Band Theory
 Is a quantum model in solid state
physics which gives the possible
energies for electron in a solid and gives
an understanding of electrical
conductivity
Band Theory
 Useful way to visualize the difference
between conductors, insulators and
semiconductors is to plot the available
energies for electrons in the materials.
 Electronic Properties
 The last completely filled (at least
at T = 0 K) band is called the
Valence Band
 The next band with higher energy is
the Conduction Band
 The energy difference between the
bottom of the CB and the top of the
VB is called the Band Gap (or
Forbidden Gap)
Energy Bands for Solids
Insulators
 A good insulator is a poor conductor
 materials with no or very few free
charge carriers; e.g. quartz, most
covalent and ionic solids, plastics
 Valence e = 8
 Ar
Conductors
 material capable of carrying electric
current, i.e. material which has “mobile
charge carriers” (e.g. electrons, ions,..)
e.g. metals, liquids with ions (water,
molten ionic compounds), plasma
 Valence e = 1
 Ag, Na, Li, Cu
Semiconductors
 materials with conductivity between
that of conductors and insulators; e.g.
germanium Ge, silicon Si,
 Valence e = 4

 Si, C, Ger
Superconductors
 certain materials have zero resistivity at
very low temperature.
 Resistivities ()
resistivity in  m resistance(in )(L=1m,
diam =1mm)
aluminum 2.8x10-8 3.6x10-2
brass 8x10-8 10.1x10-2
copper 1.7x10-8 2.2x10-2
platinum 10x10-8 12.7x10-2
silver 1.6x10-8 2.1x10-2
carbon 3.5x10-5 44.5
germanium 0.45 5.7x105
silicon  640  6x108
porcelain 1010 - 1012 1016 - 1018
teflon 1014 1020
blood 1.5 1.9x106
fat 24 3x107
Resistivity
Problem 1
 Calculate the total DC resistance of a
100 metre roll of 2.5x10⁻⁶m² copper
wire if the resistivity of copper at
20oC is 1.72 x 10-8 Ω metre.
Problem 2
 The length and area of wire are
given as 0.2 m and 0.5
m2 respectively. The resistance of
that wire is 3 Ω, calculate the
resistivity?
Problem 3
 Compute the resistivity of the given
material whose resistance is 2 Ω;
area of cross-section and length are
25cm2 and 15 cm respectively?
Problem 4
End of Presentation!