Resistance is a measure of how well a material conducts an electric charge. Would you expect to find a high or low, level of resistance in a copper wire and why?
Since copper is a metal, its atoms metallically bond with other copper atoms, forming a "sea" of electrons. Remember, electricity is just energy that is transferred through a flow of electrons. Because metals have a "sea" of electrons, the energy easily flows through the electrons. That's why metals conduct electricity much more easily than do non-metals or metalloids (they don't have blobs of electrons). Resistance is what we describe opposition to the flow of electrons. High resistance means it is very hard for that object to conduct electricity. Low resistance means it is easy to conduct. Copper is a metal that easily conducts electricity, so you would expect to find "low resistance."
Join our real-time social learning platform and learn together with your friends!