Which statement describes why metals conduct electricity well?

Which statement describes why metals conduct electricity well?

• A. They have free electrons.
• B. They have a strong magnetic field.
• C. They have high reflectivity.
• D. They have low density.

Answer: (A)

Metals conduct electricity well because they have a sea of free, delocalized electrons that can move easily through the lattice of positive ions. In the metallic structure, electrons aren’t bound to any one atom; they’re free to drift when a potential difference is applied, creating an electric current. The large number of mobile charge carriers together with their mobility makes metals good conductors. The other statements don’t explain why conduction is so effective: a strong magnetic field doesn’t determine how easily charges move; high reflectivity describes how metals interact with light, not how charges carry current; and low density isn’t the reason metals conduct well (conductivity depends on the availability and mobility of free electrons, not density).

Metals conduct electricity well because they have a sea of free, delocalized electrons that can move easily through the lattice of positive ions. In the metallic structure, electrons aren’t bound to any one atom; they’re free to drift when a potential difference is applied, creating an electric current. The large number of mobile charge carriers together with their mobility makes metals good conductors.

The other statements don’t explain why conduction is so effective: a strong magnetic field doesn’t determine how easily charges move; high reflectivity describes how metals interact with light, not how charges carry current; and low density isn’t the reason metals conduct well (conductivity depends on the availability and mobility of free electrons, not density).