Is Copper the Best Electrical Conductor?
Copper is not technically the best electrical conductor, or a physical object that allows the transference of heat or electricity through it. Silver is actually considered to be the most effective metal for transferring heat and electricity; however, it tends to be more costly than other metals.
Copper has a conduction performance that is roughly similar to silver, but is typically much cheaper, making it the more commonly used material for electrical wiring. While silver is the best electrical conductor for metals, it is not the overall best conductor – diamonds conduct heat and electricity approximately five times more effectively than silver does.
More about conductors of electricity :
- Ground up diamonds are a common component in computer processors to prevent the machines from overheating.
- Products labeled as sterling silver generally contain only 92.5% silver – the rest is usually 7.5% copper because pure silver is too soft to be used on its own for most products.
- Gold and silver are created from explosions of stars – the biggest stars produce gold, while smaller stars’ explosions result in silver.
