What is a conductor and what is an insulator?
Electron Highway
What is a conductor and what is an insulator?
Imagine you're holding a tiny marble called an electron, and you want to roll it from one place to another. Some materials roll out a smooth, open hallway for it. Others slam every door in its face. That's the whole secret behind conductors and insulators — and it's hiding in everything you touch.
A conductor is a material that lets electricity flow through it easily. Think of a metal wire as a long, polished water slide. Once a charge starts moving, it just keeps going, whoosh, all the way to the other end. The electrons inside barely have to push.
