Electric Conductivity Converter

About Electric Conductivity Conversion

Electric conductivity, also known as electrical conductivity or specific conductance, is a measure of a material's ability to conduct electric current. It is the reciprocal of electrical resistivity and quantifies how readily a material allows the flow of electric current. The SI unit for electrical conductivity is siemens per meter (S/m).

Common Electric Conductivity Conversions

• 1 siemens per meter (S/m) = 0.01 siemens per centimeter (S/cm)
• 1 siemens per centimeter (S/cm) = 100 siemens per meter (S/m)
• 1 siemens per meter (S/m) = 1,000 millisiemens per meter (mS/m)
• 1 millisiemens per centimeter (mS/cm) = 0.1 siemens per meter (S/m)
• 1 siemens per meter (S/m) = 1,000,000 microsiemens per meter (μS/m)
• 1 microsiemens per centimeter (μS/cm) = 0.0001 siemens per meter (S/m)
• 1 siemens per meter (S/m) = 1 mho per meter (℧/m)
• 1 siemens per meter (S/m) = 10^-11 absiemens per centimeter (abS/cm)
• 1 siemens per meter (S/m) = 8.99 × 10⁹ statsiemens per centimeter (statS/cm)
• 1 siemens per meter (S/m) = 1 reciprocal ohm meter (1/(Ω·m))

Understanding Electric Conductivity

Electric conductivity (σ) is defined as the reciprocal of electrical resistivity (ρ):

σ = 1/ρ

It is a fundamental property of materials, independent of the size or shape of the object. The SI unit of electrical conductivity is siemens per meter (S/m), though in certain fields like electrochemistry, it's often expressed in siemens per centimeter (S/cm) or microsiemens per centimeter (μS/cm).

For a conductor with uniform cross-section, the relationship between conductivity (σ), conductance (G), length (L), and cross-sectional area (A) is:

σ = G × L/A

This is the inverse of the relationship between resistivity and resistance.

Typical Conductivity Values of Materials

Material	Conductivity at 20°C (S/m)
Silver	6.30 × 107
Copper	5.96 × 107
Gold	4.10 × 107
Aluminum	3.50 × 107
Brass	1.50 × 107
Iron	1.00 × 107
Steel	0.50 - 1.00 × 107
Graphite	2.00 - 3.00 × 104
Carbon (amorphous)	1.25 - 2.00 × 104
Seawater	4 - 5
Drinking water	0.005 - 0.05
Deionized water	5.5 × 10-6
Germanium	2.17
Silicon	4.35 × 10-4
Glass	10-10 - 10-14
Hard rubber	10-14

Applications of Electric Conductivity

Understanding and measuring electric conductivity is important in many fields:

• Materials science (metal alloys, semiconductor characterization)
• Electronics (conductive traces, electrical contacts)
• Electrochemistry (solution conductivity, ion mobility)
• Water quality testing (Total Dissolved Solids measurement)
• Environmental science (soil conductivity, aquifer mapping)
• Geophysics (earth conductivity surveys)
• Medicine (bioelectrical impedance analysis)

Factors Affecting Conductivity

Several factors can affect a material's electrical conductivity:

Temperature

For most metals, conductivity decreases with increasing temperature, following the relationship:

σ(T) = σ₀/[1 + α(T - T₀)]

Where σ₀ is the conductivity at reference temperature T₀, and α is the temperature coefficient of resistivity.

For semiconductors and electrolytes, conductivity typically increases with temperature.

Impurities and Defects

The presence of impurities or defects in a material typically decreases its conductivity by disrupting the flow of electrons.

In Solutions

For solutions, conductivity depends on:

• Ion concentration
• Types of ions present
• Temperature of the solution
• Viscosity of the solvent

Measuring Conductivity

Electrical conductivity is typically measured using conductivity meters, which apply an alternating voltage to a sample and measure the resulting current. In solutions, conductivity is measured using a conductivity cell with two electrodes.

In materials science, four-point probe methods are often used to accurately measure the conductivity of thin films and other samples.

Our electric conductivity converter provides accurate conversions between all these units, making it easy to translate between different measurement systems for materials science, electrochemistry, and educational purposes.