electrical conduction

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electrical conduction

physics

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June 17, 2026

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Electrical conduction in physics refers to the movement of free electrons through a solid material, creating an electric current. Materials like metals have abundant free electrons that move easily, making them good conductors. In contrast, insulators like plastics have electrons that are more restricted, hindering current flow. Semiconductors, such as silicon, fall in between, with conductivity that can be significantly altered by temperature or impurities. Ohm's law describes the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance in electrical circuits, stating that current is directly proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance ((I = V/R)). Electrolytic conductors, like acids and salts in solution, also conduct electricity but involve chemical changes through the movement of charged ions.

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electricity
Conductors, insulators, and semiconductors
In a conductor, the valence band is partially filled, and since there are numerous empty levels, the electrons are free to move under the influence of an electric field; thus, in a metal the valence band is also the conduction band. In an insulator, electrons completely fill…
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In a conductor, the valence band is partially filled, and since there are numerous empty levels, the electrons are free to move under the influence of an electric field; thus, in a metal the valence band is also the conduction band. In an insulator, electrons completely fill…
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gold
Properties, occurrences, and uses
Because of its high electrical conductivity (71 percent that of copper) and inertness, the largest industrial use of gold is in the electric and electronics industry for plating contacts, terminals, printed circuits, and semiconductor systems. Thin films of gold that reflect up to 98 percent of incident infrared radiation…
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Because of its high electrical conductivity (71 percent that of copper) and inertness, the largest industrial use of gold is in the electric and electronics industry for plating contacts, terminals, printed circuits, and semiconductor systems. Thin films of gold that reflect up to 98 percent of incident infrared radiation…
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electromagnetism
Invention of the Leyden jar
…lightning was an example of electric conduction by flying a silk kite during a thunderstorm. He collected electric charge from a cloud by means of wet twine attached to a key and thence to a Leyden jar. He then used the accumulated charge from the lightning to perform electric experiments.…
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…lightning was an example of electric conduction by flying a silk kite during a thunderstorm. He collected electric charge from a cloud by means of wet twine attached to a key and thence to a Leyden jar. He then used the accumulated charge from the lightning to perform electric experiments.…
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principles of physical science
Simplified models
…first quantum mechanical treatment of electrical conduction in metals was provided in 1928 by the German physicist Arnold Sommerfeld, who used a greatly simplified model in which electrons were assumed to roam freely (much like non-interacting molecules of a gas) within the metal as if it were a hollow container.…
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…first quantum mechanical treatment of electrical conduction in metals was provided in 1928 by the German physicist Arnold Sommerfeld, who used a greatly simplified model in which electrons were assumed to roam freely (much like non-interacting molecules of a gas) within the metal as if it were a hollow container.…
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resistivity
…basis of their ability to conduct electric currents. High resistivity designates poor conductors.
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…basis of their ability to conduct electric currents. High resistivity designates poor conductors.
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