An electrician is trying to decide which kind of material to use to wire a house. carbon steel: conductivity = 1.43 × 10−7, resistance = 1 × 1010 copper: conductivity = 5.96 × 107, resistance = 1.68 × 10-8 gold: conductivity = 4.11 × 107, resistance = 2.44 × 10−8 iron: conductivity = 1 × 107, resistance = 1.0 × 10−7 Based on this information, which material should the electrician use? (1 point) Responses copper copper gold gold carbon steel carbon steel iron

1 answer

To determine which material is best for wiring a house, we should look at conductivity and resistance. A material with higher conductivity and lower resistance is preferred for electrical wiring.

Here's a comparison of the materials provided:

  1. Copper:

    • Conductivity: \(5.96 \times 10^{7}\)
    • Resistance: \(1.68 \times 10^{-8}\)
  2. Gold:

    • Conductivity: \(4.11 \times 10^{7}\)
    • Resistance: \(2.44 \times 10^{-8}\)
  3. Iron:

    • Conductivity: \(1 \times 10^{7}\)
    • Resistance: \(1.0 \times 10^{-7}\)
  4. Carbon Steel:

    • Conductivity: \(1.43 \times 10^{-7}\)
    • Resistance: \(1 \times 10^{10}\)

From the values:

  • Copper has the best conductivity (\(5.96 \times 10^{7}\)) and the lowest resistance (\(1.68 \times 10^{-8}\)).
  • Gold has good conductivity but is not as good as copper.
  • Iron and Carbon Steel are much less effective in terms of conductivity and have higher resistance.

Based on this information, the electrician should use copper for wiring the house.