What affects the flow of electricity?
Electricity flows more easily through some materials than others. Some substances such as metals generally offer very little resistance to the flow of electric current and are called conductors. A common but perhaps overlooked conductor is the surface or subsurface of the earth. Glass, plastic, porcelain, clay, pottery, dry wood, and similar substances generally slow or stop the flow of electricity. They are called insulators. Even air, normally an insulator, can become a conductor, as occurs during an arc or lightning stroke. How does water affect the flow of electricity? Pure water is a poor conductor. But small amounts of impurities in water like salt, acid, solvents, or other materials can turn water itself and substances that generally act as insulators into conductors or better conductors. Dry wood, for example, generally slows or stops the flow of electricity. But when saturated with water, wood turns into a conductor. The same is true of human skin. Dry skin has a fairly high r
