Which term describes a material that can carry an electric current?

Which term describes a material that can carry an electric current?

• A. Insulator
• B. Conductor
• C. Capacitor
• D. Dielectric

Answer: (B)

Conductor describes a material that can carry an electric current. In conductors, free charge carriers (like electrons in metals) move when a voltage is applied, so current flows readily. Insulators resist current because their charge carriers aren’t free to move. A dielectric is an insulating material that can be polarized in an electric field and is used to store energy in devices like capacitors, not to carry sustained current. A capacitor is a device, not a material, whose job is to store charge. So the material that can carry current is a conductor.

Conductor describes a material that can carry an electric current. In conductors, free charge carriers (like electrons in metals) move when a voltage is applied, so current flows readily. Insulators resist current because their charge carriers aren’t free to move. A dielectric is an insulating material that can be polarized in an electric field and is used to store energy in devices like capacitors, not to carry sustained current. A capacitor is a device, not a material, whose job is to store charge. So the material that can carry current is a conductor.