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electrical conductor
A medium through which an electric current will flow. Metals are generally very good electrical conductors. Most non-metals are poor conductors; however, there are exceptions such as plasma. Non-conducting materials are known as electrical insulators.
The electrons in conductors lie in a so-called conduction band that, in an energy diagram, sits on top of the valence band. Electrons in the conduction band are able to move through the medium when a potential difference is applied between two points.
Under normal conditions, all materials offer some resistance to flowing charges, which generates heat. In most cases, electrical resistance rises with increasing temperature.
A material can be an electrical conductor without being a thermal conductor, although most metals are both.
Related category
• ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
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