Conductors and Insulators
How many of you have experienced a feeling of electric shock while
opening the window of your car or coming in contact with wires in
wet condition? Isn’t that a bit scary? But, why is that? Why don’t you
get similar experiences with wooden materials? It is because they are
insulators.
The reason you get a shock is that there occurs a flow of electrons
from one body to another when they come in contact via rubbing or
moving against each other. Shock is basically a mini feeling of current
passing through your body. So now, let us look at these concepts in
greater detail.
What are Conductors?
Conductors are the materials or substances which allow electricity to
flow through them. They are able to conduct electricity because they
allow electrons to flow inside them very easily. Conductors have this
property of allowing the transition of heat or light from one source to
another.
,Metals, humans, earth, and animal bodies are all conductors. This is
the reason we get electric shocks! The main reason is that being a
good conductor, our human body allows a resistance-free path for the
current to flow from wire to our body.
Conductors have free electrons on its surface which allows current to
pass through. This is the reason why conductors are able to conduct
electricity.
Examples of Conductors
● Silver is the best conductor of electricity. However, it is costly
and so, we don’t use silver in industries and transmission of
electricity.
, ● Copper, Brass, Steel, Gold, and Aluminium are good
conductors of electricity. We use them mostly in electric
circuits and systems in the form of wires.
● Mercury is an excellent liquid conductor that finds use in many
instruments.
● Gases are not good conductors of electricity as the particles of
matter are quite far away and thus, they are unable to conduct
electrons.
Explore more about Electric Charges and Fields
Electric Charges and Fields
● Dipole in a Uniform External Field
● Electric Dipole
● Applications of Gauss’s Law
● Gauss’s Law
● Electric Flux
● Electric Field Lines
● Electric Field
● Coulomb’s Law
● Basic Properties of Electric Charge
, ● Electric Charge
Applications of Conductors
Conductors are quite useful in many ways. They find used in many
real-life applications like:
● Mercury is a common ingredient in thermometer to check the
temperature of the body.
● Aluminium finds use in making foils to store food and also in
the production of fry pans to store heat quickly.
● Iron is common in vehicle engine manufacturing to conduct
heat.
● The plate of an iron is made up of steel to absorb heat briskly.
● Conductors find their use in car radiators to eradicate heat away
from the engine.
Insulators
Insulators are the materials or substances which resist or don’t allow
the current to flow through them. They are mostly solid in nature and
How many of you have experienced a feeling of electric shock while
opening the window of your car or coming in contact with wires in
wet condition? Isn’t that a bit scary? But, why is that? Why don’t you
get similar experiences with wooden materials? It is because they are
insulators.
The reason you get a shock is that there occurs a flow of electrons
from one body to another when they come in contact via rubbing or
moving against each other. Shock is basically a mini feeling of current
passing through your body. So now, let us look at these concepts in
greater detail.
What are Conductors?
Conductors are the materials or substances which allow electricity to
flow through them. They are able to conduct electricity because they
allow electrons to flow inside them very easily. Conductors have this
property of allowing the transition of heat or light from one source to
another.
,Metals, humans, earth, and animal bodies are all conductors. This is
the reason we get electric shocks! The main reason is that being a
good conductor, our human body allows a resistance-free path for the
current to flow from wire to our body.
Conductors have free electrons on its surface which allows current to
pass through. This is the reason why conductors are able to conduct
electricity.
Examples of Conductors
● Silver is the best conductor of electricity. However, it is costly
and so, we don’t use silver in industries and transmission of
electricity.
, ● Copper, Brass, Steel, Gold, and Aluminium are good
conductors of electricity. We use them mostly in electric
circuits and systems in the form of wires.
● Mercury is an excellent liquid conductor that finds use in many
instruments.
● Gases are not good conductors of electricity as the particles of
matter are quite far away and thus, they are unable to conduct
electrons.
Explore more about Electric Charges and Fields
Electric Charges and Fields
● Dipole in a Uniform External Field
● Electric Dipole
● Applications of Gauss’s Law
● Gauss’s Law
● Electric Flux
● Electric Field Lines
● Electric Field
● Coulomb’s Law
● Basic Properties of Electric Charge
, ● Electric Charge
Applications of Conductors
Conductors are quite useful in many ways. They find used in many
real-life applications like:
● Mercury is a common ingredient in thermometer to check the
temperature of the body.
● Aluminium finds use in making foils to store food and also in
the production of fry pans to store heat quickly.
● Iron is common in vehicle engine manufacturing to conduct
heat.
● The plate of an iron is made up of steel to absorb heat briskly.
● Conductors find their use in car radiators to eradicate heat away
from the engine.
Insulators
Insulators are the materials or substances which resist or don’t allow
the current to flow through them. They are mostly solid in nature and
