Conduction Of Electricity & Resistance Flashcards
What is meant by the conduction of electricity?
It is the process by which electric charge is transported through a material, typically by the movement of free electrons in a conductor.
What are the primary charge carriers in metallic conductors?
Free electrons that are loosely bound to atoms and can move easily through the metal.
How does the electron band structure in metals facilitate conduction?
In metals, the valence and conduction bands overlap, allowing electrons to move freely and conduct electric current.
What factors affect the conduction of electricity in a material?
The number of free electrons, atomic structure, temperature, and the presence of impurities.
How does temperature generally affect electrical conduction in metals?
As temperature increases, lattice vibrations increase, scattering electrons more and thus increasing resistance.
Define conductivity and its relation to resistivity.
Conductivity is a measure of how easily a material conducts electric current; it is the reciprocal of resistivity, which quantifies how strongly a material opposes current flow.
What is electrical resistance?
Resistance is a measure of the opposition a material offers to the flow of electric current.
Write the formula that relates resistance to resistivity.
R = ρL/A, where R is resistance, ρ is resistivity, L is the length, and A is the cross-sectional area.
How do impurities affect a conductor’s resistance?
Impurities generally increase resistance by scattering conduction electrons.
What is the temperature coefficient of resistance?
It is a factor that indicates how the resistance of a material changes with temperature.
Explain Ohm’s Law as it relates to conduction.
Ohm’s Law states that the current through a conductor is directly proportional to the voltage across it and inversely proportional to its resistance (I = V/R).
How is the mean free path of an electron defined?
It is the average distance an electron travels between collisions with atoms or impurities in the conductor.
