Sähkönjohtuvuus

Sähkönjohtuvuus, often referred to as electrical conductivity, is a measure of a material's ability to conduct electric current. It quantifies how easily electric charge carriers, typically electrons or ions, can move through a substance when an electric field is applied. Materials with high electrical conductivity are known as conductors, while those with low conductivity are insulators.

The reciprocal of electrical conductivity is electrical resistivity, which measures a material's opposition to the flow of electric current. Conductivity is a fundamental property of materials and is crucial in understanding their behavior in electrical circuits and devices. It is influenced by factors such as temperature, the material's atomic structure, and the presence of impurities.

Metals like copper, silver, and gold are excellent conductors due to their free electrons that can readily move. Semiconductors, such as silicon and germanium, have conductivity values between those of conductors and insulators, and their conductivity can be manipulated by doping. Insulators, like rubber, glass, and plastic, have very few free charge carriers, making them highly resistant to electric current. The SI unit for electrical conductivity is siemens per meter (S/m). Understanding sähkönjohtuvuus is essential in fields ranging from electrical engineering to materials science.