An electrician is trying to decide which kind of material to use to wire a house.

Question

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

gold
gold

iron
iron

copper
copper

carbon steel

Answer 1

To determine which material the electrician should use for wiring, we can look at the conductivity values provided. A higher conductivity indicates that the material is better at allowing electric current to flow, which is desirable for wiring in a house.

Here are the materials sorted by their conductivity values:

1. Copper: \( 5.96 \times 10^7 \) S/m (highest conductivity)
2. Gold: \( 4.11 \times 10^7 \) S/m
3. Iron: \( 1.00 \times 10^7 \) S/m
4. Carbon Steel: \( 1.43 \times 10^{-7} \) S/m (lowest conductivity)

Since copper has the highest conductivity, it is the best choice for wiring a house. Therefore, the electrician should use copper.