I just started studying. Beginning on the basics. In "Basic Electrical Theory 3rd edition" page five section "1.5 Charged Material (Static Charge)" It states, "If two conductive materials in contact with each other..." What is conductive materials here? Not copper wires, not conductors of electricity right?
Generally, anything you ordinarily think of as a metal, is a conductive material. Most non-metals as solids, are insulators. Water in its pure form is an insulator, but most practical sources of water have impurities dissolved in it that make it a conductor. Some examples of non-metal conductors are graphite and cured concrete when wet.
Silicon in its pure form is an electrical insulator, while being a thermal conductor. Usually electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity come together as a package deal, but silicon is an exception to this rule. Silicon with intentional impurities can make it a conductor, and is thus classified as a semiconductor. There are other materials that can also function as semiconductors, usually based on elements located along the "staircase" between metals and nonmetals on the periodic table.
