why is copper the best condutor of electricity?

Question

why is it? over like iron,brass,steel etc.

Answer 1

well, it isn't. gold is the BEST. what made you think that copper was the best conductor of electricity? i htink that maybe because of the low density of gold,(gold is soft) that electrons can navigate the metal without having to run around in such a small area. what i mean is, if the iron was highly dense, and the gold was lowly dense, the density resists the electricity. so the gold allows more electricity to pass through it. don't think that this is exactly right; i am not sure, and this just MIGHT be wrong.

Answer 2

Because it's the cheapest and most abundant. Gold and silver have lower resistance to electrical current but they're rather pricey. Interesting fact... when they built the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos to build the first nuclear weapons copper was in short supply. The next most readily-available metal was silver so they went wheeling into the U.S. Mint and confiscated 8 tons of the stuff and the whole place was wired with pure silver.

Answer 3

10 stable electric Conductors: the terrific electric conductor, below circumstances of trouble-free temperature and tension, is the steel element silver. it is not constantly an suitable determination as a textile, regardless of the indisputable fact that, because of the fact of its fee and because it tarnishes. The oxide layer generally happening as tarnish isn't conductive. silver gold copper aluminum mercury steel iron sea water concrete mercury - save Texas electrical energy

Answer 4

Copper is a good conductor. So is silver and other non-ferrous metals because their molecules are packed tighter together. Ironic, isn't it , despite the lack of iron therein.
No, not ironic, I know, I know. I just had to say it.

Answer 5

All wrong. There are many superconductors. They just have to be in a vat of liquid nitrogen or Minnesota. It's all in how the electron bonds between atoms act in the substance. Good conductors have lots of electrons that are free to move from atom to atom.

Answer 6

Silver and Gold are far better (take a look at your gold-plated stereo RCA jacks).

But who's going to use Fort Knox to deliver electric power to South Central LA???

Answer 7

Actually it's not, silver is better. The differences are due to the exact configuration of the electrons in the "shells" around the atom.

Answer 8

Silver is better, owing to molecular arrangement, but copper is less expensive (and copper comes in second)