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T5A07

ELECTRICAL PRINCIPLES · Current and voltage: terminology and units, conductors and insulators, alternating and direct current

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Why are metals generally good conductors of electricity?

  1. AThey have relatively high density
  2. BThey have many free electrons
  3. CThey have many free protons
  4. DThey have relatively high Young's modulus values
Why Electric current is the flow of charge, and in a solid that means electrons moving. Metals have atoms whose outer valence electrons are only loosely bound, so they drift freely through the crystal lattice as a 'sea' of free electrons. Apply even a small voltage and those electrons move easily, which is exactly what low resistance means. Insulators, by contrast, hold their electrons tightly in place.
Watch out Protons sit locked in the atomic nuclei and never move through a wire, so free protons are not a thing in metal conduction. Density and Young's modulus (stiffness) are mechanical properties with no direct bearing on electrical conductivity, though lead is dense and a poor conductor, which shows they do not track together.
Current is electrons moving. Metals are good conductors because their electrons are free to roam.
HamSandwich explanation, first draft. The question and answers are the NCVEC text.
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The rest of T5A

  1. T5A01 Electrical current is measured in which of the following units?
  2. T5A02 Electrical power is measured in which of the following units?
  3. T5A03 What is the term for the flow of electrons in an electric circuit?
  4. T5A04 What term describes the number of times per second that an alternating current makes a complete cycle?
  5. T5A05 A difference in which of the following causes electron flow?
  6. T5A06 What is the unit of frequency?
  7. T5A07 Why are metals generally good conductors of electricity?
  8. T5A08 Which of the following is a good electrical insulator?
  9. T5A09 Which of the following describes alternating current?
  10. T5A10 Which term describes the rate at which electrical energy is used?
  11. T5A11 What type of current flow is opposed by resistance?
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