FDNY COF for Fire Alarm Systems Inspection, Testing and Service Technician (S-98) Practice Exam

Electrical conductivity comes from how freely electrons can move through a material. Metals have many free electrons that can drift under an electric field, making them excellent conductors. Copper, aluminum, and gold are classic examples of metals with high conductivity.

Carbon, in contrast, is a nonmetal and generally doesn’t offer the same easy pathway for electron flow. Its conductivity depends on the form: graphite can conduct because its layered structure has delocalized electrons, but it’s still far less conductive than metals. Other carbon forms, like diamond, are insulators. So, among these materials, carbon is not a good conductor in the typical sense, while the metals are.