Conductors and insulators Flashcards
What are conductors?
Materials that allow electricity to easily flow through them
What are insulators?
Materials that do not allow electricity to flow through them
Most metals allow electrical current to flow through them easily because they have a _______________.
Low resistance(How difficult it is for current to flow through a circuit)
Why are conductors called conductors?
The process of electrical current flowing through a wire is called conduction, and materials which conduct are called conductors.
Why do electrons usually orbit atoms?
Their negatively charged electrons are attached to the positively charged nucleus by strong electrostatic forces . The electrons are bound ( electrons which cannot move from their atom . Bound electrons cannot flow through a material.) to the nucleus.
Why do metals with higher resistance not conduct well with electricity?
They have fewer free electrons
What are metals made out of?
Metals are made of neat rows of positive ions
Do insulators have high or low resistance?
High resistance
Why do we put insulator material n electrical wires?
So we don’t get an electrical shock
Name me a non-metal that is a great metal conductor?
Graphite
Why can some liquids conduct?
This is due to the dissolved salts and minerals they contain. Liquids which are electrical conductors are called electrolytes.
Why are metals the best conductors?
Metals are the best conductors because of their free (delocalized) electrons. These electrons move freely through the metal atoms and transfer kinetic energy quickly when they collide with each other and with the atoms in the lattice . The tightly packed atoms in the metal lattice also vibrate and transfer energy through collisions, further aiding heat conduction.
What is a black body?
An object that absorbs all of the radiation that falls on it ( including infrared)
What does emitter mean?
An object that gives out thermal energy in the form of infrared radiation
What is an absorption?
An object that takes in thermal energy in the form of infrared radiation
