Experiments with magnets and conductors
Resistivity of materials
metal | resistivity, nano-ohm-meter |
silver | 14.71 |
copper | 15.80 |
gold | 20.11 |
aluminum | 25.00 |
zinc | 54.55 |
iron | 87.10 |
lead | 193.00 |
mercury | 983.96 |
So, silver is the best conductor, at least at room temperature. (At very low temperatures, lead and mercury become superconductors where their resistivity becomes 0.00!) Copper is close to silver, and is much less expensive. Aluminum is not far behind, and is less expensive than copper.