What is the difference between a conductor, a semiconductor, and an insulator?

Conductors, semiconductors, and insulators differ in their ability to conduct electricity due to their electron properties.

Conductors are materials that allow electric current to flow through them easily due to their abundance of free electrons. These materials have low resistivity and high conductivity, making them ideal for electrical wiring and circuitry. Metals such as copper and aluminium are good conductors.

Semiconductors have properties that lie between those of conductors and insulators. They have a moderate number of free electrons, which can be increased by doping with impurities. This makes them useful in electronic devices such as transistors and diodes.

Insulators are materials that do not allow electric current to flow through them easily due to their lack of free electrons. They have high resistivity and low conductivity, making them ideal for electrical insulation. Examples of insulators include rubber, glass, and plastic.

The difference in electron properties between conductors, semiconductors, and insulators is due to their atomic structure. Conductors have loosely bound valence electrons, while insulators have tightly bound valence electrons. Semiconductors have a band gap between their valence and conduction bands, which can be manipulated by doping to increase or decrease their conductivity.

A-Level Physics Tutor Summary: In simple terms, conductors, semiconductors, and insulators differ in how easily they let electricity pass through them, which depends on their electron structure. Conductors like copper allow electricity to flow freely due to many free electrons. Semiconductors, which include materials like silicon, have a moderate electron flow that can be adjusted. Insulators, such as rubber, hardly let any electricity through because they lack free electrons.