Mondo Knows Facts
Silver is the best electrical conductor
Of all metals, silver carries current with the least resistance at room temperature Silver has the highest electrical conductivity of any element, slightly ahead of copper. Its outer electron is loosely held and moves easily through the lattice. Copper still wins in wiring because it conducts almost as well and costs far less. It sits in Mondo's science collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.
Where this comes from
Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.
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Lightning bolts are hotter than the surface of the SunA single electrical strike can heat surrounding air to thirty thousand degrees CelsiusSuperconductors carry electricity with zero energy lossCooled below a critical temperature certain materials conduct electric current perfectlyTransition metals form brightly coloured compoundsCopper sulfate is blue because its d electrons absorb part of the visible spectrumGallium metal melts in the warmth of a human handA low melting point of thirty degrees Celsius liquifies solid gallium metalGold resists corrosion because it is chemically unreactiveHigh ionisation energy prevents gold atoms from bonding easily with oxygenElectrons drift through wires very slowlyCurrent appears instantly, yet the electrons themselves creep along at millimetres per second
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Tags: physics, electricity, metals
Silver is the best electrical conductor: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Of all metals, silver carries current with the least resistance at room temperature. The figure is taken from NIST, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a science fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.