What is a Unit of Conductivity?
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In general, a measure of the power of how well a given substance can conduct electric current, adequate to the reciprocal of the resistance of the substance, is framed as the term Conductivity. The Conductivity or any sort of specific conductance of an electrolyte solution may be a measure of its ability to produce the required amount of electricity. The ability of a solution of an electrolyte to conduct electricity due to the free ions of the electrolyte that is no longer bound in the lattice is called the Conductivity or specific conductance of that electrolyte's solution.
The SI unit of Conductivity is Siemens per meter (S/m).
The Conductivity of any substance is its capacity to transfer electricity through ions. It can be of different variations, such as ionic, thermal or electrical. The electrical Conductivity Unit measures the current flow through an electrolyte solution.
The SI Unit of Conductivity measures the frequency at which a current or heat passes through any object. The universal measure for conductance is Siemens for per meter or S/m for any substance. It is also equal to ohm-1*m-1 when heat waves or thermal energy flows through a material.
It is also represented through the Greek letter σ. Its formula is:
σ = 1/ρ
Where σ = reciprocal of resistivity, while ρ = resistivity of an object.
Electrical Conductivity occurs when a current flows in response to the forces acting upon them in an electric field. It is a measure of the amount of electrically charged particles that a material can transfer. The electronic conduction that flows through most particles depends on the number of electrons present in an object.
Metals are an excellent conductor of electricity because they contain a large number of free electrons that can carry current within that material.
Fun Fact: Silver is the most conductive among all other metals, followed by copper and gold.
The SI Unit of electrical Conductivity, is defined as its ratio between current density (J) and intensity for an electric field (e).
S = J/e
Similarly, in water, conduction occurs through a free flow of ions. Though pure water does not help in conducting an electric current, distilled water and seawater allows conduction via electronically charged ions. This phenomena occurs due to the presence of minerals in distilled water and seawater. With an increase in the condensation of ions, there is an increase in Conductivity.
Resistance and Conductivity Relationship
Resistance is a material property that restricts the flow of electrons in it. Consider a situation where there is a tunnel and water. Easier the water flows through a tunnel, the lower Resistance it contains.
However, Conductivity enables a free flow of electronically charged particles quickly through a material. The SI unit of Conductivity is precisely the reverse of the SI unit of Resistance.
The formula of Resistance is: R = ρ*l/A
Where ρ = resistivity.
A = cross section area
L = length of a wire
R = wide Resistance
However, there is a link between Conductivity and Resistance. A good conductor is any material that offers little Resistance when electricity flows through it. If a substance has less resistivity to thermal energy or heat, it implies that it has great conduction or vice versa.
Multiple Choice Questions
Here are some solved questions on the SI unit of conductivity. Read them and expand your knowledge.
1. Conductivity is an Object’s Ability to Transmit
a. Current
b. Voltage
c. Resistance
d. All the above points
Ans: a
2. Which Reagent has a Specific Conductance?
a. HCl
b. Potassium chloride
c. Sodium chloride
d. Magnesium chloride
Ans: b
3. The Universally Recognised SI Unit of Electric Conductance is
a. Ohm
b. Watt
c. Siemens
d. Joule
Ans: c
4. Which of the Following Objects have a High Conductance?
a. Plastic
b. Water
c. Glass
d. Copper
Ans: d
5. The Reverse of Conductivity is
a. Resistivity
b. Turbidity
c. Viscosity
d. None of these
Ans: a
The field of conductivity is vast and understanding what is the unit of conductivity requires in-depth knowledge. You can now download our Vedantu app to access detailed study material, as well as online classes to understand these concepts in detail.
FAQs on Unit of Conductivity
1. What is the Unit of Conductivity of Water?
Distilled water with carbon dioxide infused in it has a conductivity unit which is approximately 10*10-6 W-1*m-1 (20dS/m). Drinking water conducts electricity with 0.005 – 0.05 S/m.
2. What is the SI Unit of Conductivity for an Object?
The SI unit of conductance is Siemens for per meter or S/m applicable to any substance. Its symbol is denoted as K as per electrical engineering, and electrical conductivity has a symbol of sigma (σ).
3. How Does Conductivity Get Measured?
One can measure SI unit of conductivity with the help of meters and probes. The amount of resistance of a solution determines the conductivity of an object.
4. How can Conductivity be explained in simple terms?
It is the measure of the ability of a particular electrolyte to conduct electricity in any desired form. Hence Conductivity or any specific conductance is a measure of its ability to conduct or produce power or electricity. Conductivity is expressed in Siemens per meter in SI unit (S/m). And if suppose the electrolytes are weak, they dissociate into ions to a much lesser extent when compared to that of strong electrolytes.
5. What is the best example of conductivity?
In the case of conductivity, not all the time all minerals or substances need to produce electricity should also help in controlling when to produce and when not to produce electricity. Some substances are required to conduct electricity and some are not. Typically any wire conductors need to let current flow as easily as possible. While some other minerals are required to restrict the flow of the current whenever necessary, that is known as a resistor. On the other hand, some other minerals are required not to conduct electricity which is known as the insulators.
6. What is the Conductivity formula that is used?
The conductivity formula is the inverse of the resistivity that is:
σ=1/ρ
Here σ = refers to the electrical conductivity and p = refers to the resistivity
The formulas from every chapter can be written down in a separate note so that it will be easy for you to learn or revise before the exams. Knowing the formula well will increase your confidence level and boost your interest in learning the concept.
7. How is learning about Conductivity utilized in real life?
Electrical conductivity is especially a useful parameter to measure when undertaking environmental or process monitoring where electricity is required. The measurement of this parameter can identify so many different changes and various electricity requirements. Testing the electrical conductivity of water provides much practical information about a solution whether it can produce power. Not only is the conductivity measurement itself useful, but it can also be used to estimate the total dissolved solids (TDS) or salinity of the water and check whether the salt level is enough to produce electricity. The definition of conductivity is the ability to transmit heat, sound, electricity, or any power source for that matter. A simple example of conductivity is heat transferring from a hot pot of soup to a metal ladle sitting in the pot, this can easily be observed and understood.
8. Does Pollution Affect conductivity?
Any change in the Conductivity level can indicate severe Pollution conditions in the water. For instance, an oil spill or any chemical waste forced into water bodies or the addition of any other organic or inorganic compounds would decrease the total conductivity as these elements do not break down into necessary ions required to produce electricity. In such cases, the additional dissolved solids will have a negative impact on water quality which will in return doesn't conduct electricity.