Thermal and Electrical Conductors
11th Grade · Science · 50 min· Cambridge Curriculum
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Learning Objective
I can compare and contrast the properties of thermal and electrical conductors.
- 1
Conductors allow the flow of electrical current, while insulators do not, and semiconductors have conductivity in between.
- 2
Band theory explains conductivity; conductors have a tiny or no band gap, insulators have a large band gap, and semiconductors have a small enough band gap that thermal energy can promote electrons.
- 3
The conductivity of a semiconductor can be increased by doping, where impurities with more (n-type) or fewer (p-type) valence electrons are mixed into the substance.
