CONDUCTORS

WHAT IS CONDUCTORS?
• A conductor, or electrical conductor, is a
substance or material that allows electricity
to flow through it. In a conductor, electrical
charge carriers, usually electrons or ions,
move easily from atom to atom when voltage
is applied. Most metals like copper are
considered good conductors, while
nonmetals are considered bad conductors --
that is, insulators.
• Human beings are also good conductors of
electricity, which is why touching someone
experiencing an electric shock causes the
toucher to experience the same shock. In
electrical and electronic systems, conductors
comprise solid metals molded into wires or
etched onto printed circuit boards.
UNDERSTANDING
ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS
• In general, conductivity refers to the capacity of a
substance to transmit electricity or heat. A conductor
conducts electricity since it offers little or no
resistance to the flow of electrons, thus leading to a
flow of electrical current. Typically, metals, metal
alloys, electrolytes and even some nonmetals, like
graphite and liquids, including water, are good
electrical conductors. Pure elemental silver is one of
the best electrical conductors. Other good electrical
conductors include the following:
STEEL
COPPER
SILVER
PLATINUM BAR
KEY CHARACTERISTIC OF ELECTRICL
CONDUCTORS
• Important features of an electrical conductor include
the following:
• It ensures free movement of electrons or ions
through it.
• It has a zero electric field inside, which permits the
movement of electrons or ions.
• Outside the conductor, the electric field is
perpendicular to the conductor's surface.
• It has a zero charge density, ensuring that the
positive and negative charges cancel each other and
free charges exist only on the surface.
• In addition, conductors have low
resistance and high thermal conductivity.
Further, a conductor placed in a magnetic
field does not store energy. Finally, 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.
How conductors work?
According to band theory in solid-state physics, solids
have a valence band and a conduction band. For a
material to conduct electrical current through it, there
must be no energy gap between its valence band and
conduction band. Thus, in conductors, these bands
overlap, allowing electrons to flow through the material
even when a minimal amount of voltage is applied.
Since the outer electrons in the valence band are only
loosely attached to the atom, the application of voltage,
an electromotive force or a thermal effect excites them,
which moves them from the valence band to the
In the conduction band, these electrons can move
freely anywhere, resulting in an abundance of electrons
in this band. These electrons travel with a to-and-fro
motion, rather than in a straight line. That's why their
velocity is known as drift velocity, or Vd. It is because
of this drift velocity that electrons collide with atoms of
the material or other electrons inside the conductor's
conduction band.
• When there is a potential difference in the conductor
across two points, electrons flow from the point of
lower potency to the point of higher potency.
Electrons and electricity flow in opposite directions.
In this situation, only a small resistance is offered by
• At extremely low temperatures, some metals conduct electricity better
than any known substance at room temperature. This phenomenon is
called superconductivity. A substance that behaves in this way is called
a superconductor.
• Temperature's effects on conductivity
• Temperature and conductivity are inversely related, meaning rising
temperatures have an adverse effect on conduction. As temperatures
increase, the vibration in conductor molecules also increases. This
hampers the smooth flow of electrons, thereby decreasing the
material's conductivity.
• Further, rising temperatures lead to the breaking of bonds in the
conductor molecules, thereby releasing electrons. This leaves the
material with fewer electrons, thereby reducing the material's ability to
conduct an electrical current through it.
TYPES OF CONDUCTORS
Based on their ohmic response, electrical conductors
are classified as either of the following:
• ohmic conductors
• nonohmic conductors
Ohmic conductors always follow Ohm's law in which
the voltage applied is directly proportional to the
current flowing.
Examples include aluminum, copper and silver.
Nonohmic conductors, which don't follow Ohm's law,
include thermistors and light-dependent resistors, or
ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR APPLICATION

• Conductors are useful for many applications,

including the following:
• Aluminum, a good conductor of heat and electricity,
is commonly used to manufacture cooking utensils. It
is also used in foils for food storage and
preservation.
• Iron, a good conductor of heat, is used in
manufacturing vehicle engines.
• Conductors are also used in automobile radiators to
drive heat away from the engine.