Electric Current in Conductors

Yes, a material's resistivity will increase with the presence of impurities. This is because these impurities will occupy more surface area and disrupt the flow of electrons which will impact their free movement. As a result, the current cannot pass freely through the material and it will affect the resistivity.

The primary reason for this is that silver is a quite expensive material to be used on such a large scale. Also, it doesn't have a much longer lifespan and tarnishes easily. So copper is used for electrical wiring because it offers low resistance to electric current is comparatively much more safer option to be commercially used.

R =? *L/A

This is the formula of calculating a wire's resistance. If you look closely at the formula,

A= cross sectional area

More the surface area, more will be the area for passage of free electrons.

Hence, we can easily conclude that thickness of a wire plays an jmportant role in determining it's conductivity.

This happens due to the lack of electrons. Metals have a solid flow of electric current in their bodies due to the presence of free electrons moving throughout. These electrons are responsible for carrying electric charges which makes them a good conductor of electricity. however, the lack of these electrons in non-metals makes them an insulator.

As per electric current, the key difference between an electron and a proton is that electrons are directly responsible for carrying electric current. On the other hand, protons do not contribute in the passage of current since they are held tightly by the nucleus in the centre of the atom.