Question

Give Scientific reason:
For electric power transmission, copper or aluminum wire is used.

Answer 1

Hint: We will first learn about the transmission of a current through a conductor and its consequences. We all know that transmission of electricity through a conductor also produces heat, sometimes resulting in a fire in a domestic circuit or industrial circuit. So we will think about how we can overcome this adversity by using copper or aluminum wire as the conductor.

Formula used:
$H = {i^2}.R.t$

Complete answer:
Transmission of electricity occurs due to a difference in potential at two points. Current flows from high voltage point to low voltage point. This flow in current produces heat in the conductor, and that is given as-
$H = {i^2}.R.t$
$H$ is the heat generated in the conductor due to electric flow
$i$ is the amount of current through the conductor
$R$ is the resistance of the conductor
$t$ is the total the time current is flowing
So, the heat thus generated does not depend on the current source's voltage; instead, it does depend on the conductor's resistance. Resistance is the unique property of any substance, and its value changes from substance to substance. The resistance of copper and aluminum is very much less than most of the other conductors. The value of resistivity of copper and aluminum are $1.68 \times {10^{ - 8}}\Omega .m$ and $2.65 \times {10^{ - 8}}\Omega .m$ respectively. So the generated heat for these conductors is also deficient compared to that of the other conductors. Besides, these two metals can be used for domestic circuits and industrial circuits at a low cost. That is why copper and aluminum are used for electric power transmission.

Note: In the world of conductors, silver has the least resistance, but it is not used for household or industrial purposes to transmit electricity due to its high cost and lack of corrosion resistance. Copper is a better option to be used for electric conductors than aluminum.