Conductors, Insulators and Semi Conductors

 The DC electrical flow inside the computer, or outside for that matter, travels over a

conductor, which is any material, such as copper or gold, that readily carries electricity

without much resistance. It is common that a conductor is wrapped or coated by another

material, called an insulator, such as rubber, that is not a good conductor of electricity. A

good and easily found example is the cord to your lamp. Most likely it is a rubber cord

with copper wires inside. The copper wire is the conductor and the rubber coating is the

insulator.

Many of the electronic components inside the computer are neither conductors or in-

sulators. They are made of materials, such as silicone, that is both and neither a conductor

or an insulator. These materials, which can be made chemically and electronically to be

either conductive or insulating, are called semiconductors. Depending on the type and

purpose of a circuit, a semiconductor can be set to provide the right action. A semicon-

ductor could also be called a semi-insulator, but so far this name hasn’t caught on.