How does a superconductor work?

In order to understand how the superconductor works, it can be useful to explore how the regular conductor works first. Some materials such as water and metal allow electrons to flow quite easily, such as water hose water. Other materials such as wood and plastic do not allow electrons to flow, so they are considered naughty. It would be like to try to flow through the brick to flow through the electricity through them.

Even among the materials considered conductive, there may be huge differences in how much electricity can actually go through. In the electrical point of view, this is called resistance. Almost all normal electricity conductors have a certain resistance because they have their own atoms that block or absorb electrons as they pass through a wire, water or other material. Small resistance can be useful to keep the electric flow under control, but it can also be inefficient and unnecessary.

The superconduter takes the idea of ​​resistance and turn it on the head. SupercurerIt generally consists of synthetic materials or metals such as lead or niobiumtitanium, which already have a low atomic number. When these materials are frozen to almost absolute zero, what atoms have grinding for almost half. Without this atomic activity, electricity can flow through material with virtually without resistance. From a practical point of view, a computer processor or electric train track equipped with a superconductor would use very little electricity to fulfill its functions.

The most visible problem with the superconductor is the temperature. There are few practical ways to supercool a large supply of superconducting material to the desired temporary point. As the superconductor begins to warm up, the original atomic energy is restored and the material re -establish resistance. The trick to create a superconductor practicer is to find a material that becomes superconducting at room temperature. Scientists have not yet discoveredFurther metal or composite material that loses all electrical resistance at high temperatures.

To illustrate this problem, imagine a standard copper wire like a water river. The electron group is on a boat that seeks to arrive at the finish. The power of water flows upstream creates a resistance that allows the ship to work even more to get across the river. Before the ship gets to the destination, many passengers of electrons are too weak to continue. This is what is happening to the ordinary conductor - natural resistance causes energy loss.

Now imagine whether the river was completely frozen and the electrons were in a sled. Since no water would flow down the stream, there would be no resistance. The sleds would simply go through ice and insert almost all electric passengers safely upstream. The electrons have not changed, but the river has been changed by temperature so that no resistance gets. Finding a way to freeze the river at normal temperature is honethe first aim of the superconductic research.