Which metal is the best conductor?

Answer 1

Silver: best

Copper: 9% less conductive than silver

Aluminium is 10% less conductive than copper

Gold: 24% less conductive than copper (but doesn't tarnish or corrode)

Brass is somewhere here.

Rhodium: 74% less conductive than copper

Iridium: 77% less conductive than copper

Platinum: 84% less conductive than copper

Titanium: Over 99% less conductive than copper

Added by ElectronicsGenius.com:

This table shows the resistivity, conductivity and temperature coefficient of various materials at 20 °C (68 °F) Materialρ [Ω·m] at 20 °Cσ [S/m] at 20 °CTemperature

coefficient[note 1]

[K−1]ReferenceSilver1.59×10−86.30×1070.0038[1][2]Copper1.68×10−85.96 × 1070.0039[2]Annealed Copper[note 2]

5.80 × 107

[citation needed]Gold[note 3]2.44×10−84.52 × 1070.0034[1]Aluminium[note 4]2.82×10−83.5 × 1070.0039[1]Calcium3.36x10−8

0.0041

Tungsten5.60×10−8

0.0045[1]Zinc5.90×10−8

0.0037[3]Nickel6.99×10−8

0.006

Lithium9.28×10−8

0.006

Iron1.0×10−7

0.005[1]Platinum1.06×10−7

0.00392[1]Tin1.09×10−7

0.0045

Lead2.2×10−7

0.0039[1]Titanium4.20x10−7

X

Manganin4.82×10−7

0.000002[4]Constantan4.9×10−7

0.000008[5]Mercury9.8×10−7

0.0009[4]Nichrome[note 5]1.10×10−6

0.0004[1]Carbon (amorphous)5-8×10−4

−0.0005[1][6]Carbon (graphite)[note 6]2.5-5.0×10−6 ⊥ basal plane

3.0×10−3 // basal plane

[7]Carbon (diamond)[note 7]~1012

[8]Germanium[note 7]4.6×10−1

−0.048[1][2]Sea water[note 8]2×10−14.8

[9]Drinking water[note 9]

0.0005 to 0.05

[citation needed]Deionized water[note 10]

5.5 × 10−6

[10]Silicon[note 7]6.40×102

−0.075[1]Glass1010 to 1014

?[1][2]Hard rubberapprox. 1013

?[1]Sulfur1015

?[1]Air

3 to 8 × 10−15

[11]Paraffin1017

?

Quartz (fused)7.5×1017

?[1]PET1020

?

Teflon1022 to 1024

?

Answer 2

Most conductive of sound waves would be Beryllium, on account of its Young's Modulus.

Most conductive of magnetism would be soft iron, because of its magnetic permeability.

The metal most conductive of electricity is silver, though there are things more conductive of both heat and electricity.

Answer 3

The most electrically conductive metal is silver.

But the second and best to use one is copper because silver is to expensive

and after copper comes aluminum so heres the full list

silver (very high conductivity)

copper(high conductivity)

aluminum (very good conductivity )

Answer 4

Silver is the best conductor of heat and electricity. It is also the most reflective of metals.

Answer 5

gold because silver does have a tendency to tarnish/corrode

Answer 6

Silver is the best -- its conductivity is 6.3 E7 Siemens/meter at room temperature.