Question

Select the sentence that best describes why copper and some other metals are good conductors.

Answer

Copper atoms have loosely held electrons; this means they can freely move in and out of the nucleus of the atom.

Copper atoms have a loosely held free electron in their outer shell that is able to move freely to other atoms.

Copper and some other metals have highly active inner shells. This means that electrons can be freely exchanged between shells.

Copper has a small number of electrons; this means it can easily shed these electrons and take electrons from other atoms.
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Answer 1

Answer: Option (b) is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

Electronic configuration of copper is
`[Ar]4s1 3d^(10)` and copper is known as the best conductor of heat and electricity.

This is because in copper there is availability of free electrons in its valence shell (outermost shell).

And, as it is known that electricity is the flow of electrons. This means that since copper metal contains a number of free electrons. Hence, it can easily conduct electricity.

Thus, we can conclude that copper and some other metals are good conductors because copper atoms have a loosely held free electron in their outer shell that is able to move freely to other atoms.

Answer 2

The correct answer for this question would be the second option. The statement that t describes why copper and some other metals are good conductors is that copper atoms have a loosely held free electron in their outer shell that is able to move freely to other atoms. Hope this answer helps.