Question bank: Electricity: Conductors and Insulators

During the Physics class, the students are conducting experiments with different materials to identify their electrical properties as conductors or insulators. The available materials are: copper, wool, glass, rubber, and aluminum foil. A team of students built a simple circuit composed of a battery, a piece of copper wire, and a light bulb. They propose to replace the copper wire with one of the other mentioned materials. Which material could be used instead of the copper wire, so that the light bulb still lights up?

Insulating materials are materials that do not allow the flow of electrons between them, such as glass, rubber, and plastic. Which of the alternatives below is not an example of an insulating material?

During an experiment in the laboratory, the 2nd year high school students tested various materials to verify if they were conductors or insulators. They found that a specific material conducted electricity when subjected to an electric voltage, but did not conduct heat when placed between two different temperature sources. Which of the following alternatives best describes this material?

A scientist is conducting research on the electrical conductivity of composite materials. He designs an experiment in which a beam of electrons is fired towards a sample of an unknown material and observes the behavior of the electrons. During the experiment, he observes that some of the electrons pass through the material without significant deviations, while others experience considerable deviations from their trajectory. Based on this observation, and considering the principles of Quantum Mechanics that govern the behavior of electrons, explain: 1) Why some electrons can pass through the material without deviations and what does this reveal about the properties of the material? 2) How can the electronic structure of the material and its atomic arrangement influence its ability to conduct electricity? Detail the theoretical concepts involved and, if necessary, use examples of materials from everyday life to illustrate your explanations.

Which materials conduct electric current more easily?