Conductors, insulators, semiconductors
A conductor , such as copper, carries an electrical current. An insulator , such as rubber, doesn't carry an electrical current, which is why a copper wire conductor is usually wrapped with a rubber insulator.
In the conducting electricity scheme of things, halfway between a conductor and an insulator is a
semiconductor . Although its name technically means "half-conductor," it's really neither a conductor
nor an insulator. When a semiconductor is zapped with electricity or light, it toggles to either a
conductor or an insulator, depending on what it was at the time it was zapped.
A conductor , such as copper, carries an electrical current. An insulator , such as rubber, doesn't carry an electrical current, which is why a copper wire conductor is usually wrapped with a rubber insulator.
In the conducting electricity scheme of things, halfway between a conductor and an insulator is a
semiconductor . Although its name technically means "half-conductor," it's really neither a conductor
nor an insulator. When a semiconductor is zapped with electricity or light, it toggles to either a
conductor or an insulator, depending on what it was at the time it was zapped.
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