what makes metals good conductors?

Question

physical science and matter

Answer 1

Metals have 1 , 2 or 3 electrons in the outermost orbit. Hence they are not bound to the nucleus as closely as the electrons from the previous orbits.This makes the electrons free to move in the vicinity of other metal atoms(now metal ions since they have lost their electrons)
Consider a metal piece. It has many atoms . Since the electrons are free, we can consider it to be a sea of electrons within which atoms(positively charged ions) are placed.
Also the whole metal piece is not charged since all electrons are present in its vicinity.
Now, consider a potential to be applied. The electrons move towards the positive electrode and at the same time the electrons from the negetive electrode keep entering the metal resulting in metal piece still remaining neutral.

Answer 2

just think of good conductors like a water pipe. the bigger the pipe(the better the conductor) the more water (electrons) go through. Or think of it like a road and when theres a reck every car trys to get out of the stoppage as soon as possible. Some cars change lines, others stay put thinking theyll get out soon, and others drive off the road.
Electrons in a substance conductor or an insulator are like cars. Condutors have many more lines than insulators. Everything is is a conductor to some degree.

Answer 3

The electrical conductivity of metals originate from the fact that in the metallic bond the outer electrons of the metal atomsnearly free.Metal atoms typically contain a high number of electrons in their valence shell compared to their period or energy level.

Metallic bonding is non-polar, because there is no or very little electronegativity difference among the atoms participating in the bonding interaction, and the electrons involved in that interaction are delocalized across the crystalline structure of the metal.

Due to the fact that the electrons move independently of the positive ions in a sea of negative charge, the metal gains some electrical conductivity.

Answer 4

As you know every substance is made up of atoms.
These atoms consist of a nucleus in the centre and electrons revolving around them.These electrons are arranged in different concentric circles ( energy levels).
The outermost energy level is called the valance shell.
Now, all the metals have this property of having very few valance electrons.....hence making it easier for them to detach from the atom.

So when electric field is applied these loosely attached valance electrons detach themselves from the atoms.
So now we have a pool of electrons from all the atoms in the substance,thereby making metals good conductors..

This is a simple explanation ,of course you can get more complicated ones from other sources.....

Answer 5

Metals usually have 1,2,3 electrons in their outermost orbit. This helps them to conduct electricity.

Answer 6

The have a lot of free electrons

Answer 7

The valence and conduction bands overlap.

Answer 8

All the molecules touch each other and there ferrous content.

Answer 9

because they deliver electricity, not a pizza. haha. not funny.

Answer 10

The amount of ELECTRONS and their MOBILITY