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Conductors

Metal paperclips are good conductors
Metal paperclips are good conductors
Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Click here for the license
If there is enough electricity it can even jump across the air between other conductors like metal. You can see the electricity flowing here from one metal conductor to another
If there is enough electricity it can even jump across the air between other conductors like metal. You can see the electricity flowing here from one metal conductor to another
Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Click here for the license
Some materials are harder for the electricity to get through than others. The 'filament' part of this bulb resists the electricity and ends up getting so hot it glows bright enough to light a room!
Some materials are harder for the electricity to get through than others. The 'filament' part of this bulb resists the electricity and ends up getting so hot it glows bright enough to light a room!
Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Click here for the license

A conductor is a material that lets electricity flow through it really easily. Think of it as a perfect, wide-open motorway for the electrical energy to race along. It's the 'track' that electricity loves to travel on.

We use conductors, like the metal in your wires and the paperclip, to build a complete, unbroken path from the battery to the bulb so it can light up!

Examples:

Almost all metals are good conductors. This includes copper (in wires), steel (in paperclips), and silver and gold. The water in our bodies also conducts electricity.

💡 Fun Facts

  • All materials have tiny particles in them called electrons. Metals are good conductors because their electrons are free to move around and carry the electrical charge from one place to another.
  • Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in nature. It looks for the easiest path to the ground, which is why it often hits tall, wet trees or metal poles—they are good conductors.
  • Our blood is a good conductor because it contains iron, a metal.