Question

Which among the following is the best conductor of electricity?
A. Oxygen
B. Aluminum
C. Carbon
D. Wood

Answer 1

Hint: We will analyze the nature of all the options given to figure out if they are conductors, insulators or semiconductors. Naturally, the conductors will be better conductors of electricity than the other two. If there are more than one conductor, we will compare the two to figure out which would be better.

Complete step by step answer:
Let us start with the first option. It is oxygen, now as we are not given any conditions so we will assume them to be at normal conditions i.e. at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Oxygen will be in gaseous form at such conditions and will be an insulator being a gas. Next, we have aluminum, which will be an excellent conductor of electricity as it is a conductor. If there are no other conductors, this will be the correct option. Next, we have an insulator in its most common form that is coal. As we already have a conductor, we can discard this option. The last option is wood, again it is an insulator and will not conduct electricity and still aluminum is the best option.

Since there are no other conductors given, the correct option will be B, i.e. Aluminum.

Note: Although the most common form of carbon does not conduct electricity, one of its forms known as graphite is an excellent conductor. Graphite is made up of sheets of carbon stacked on top of each other and in graphite form all the atoms of carbon have one valence electron available between the sheets which can conduct electricity. Wood and oxygen will also conduct electricity if high enough potential difference is applied across them.