Joking aside, these theories of why 'conductors' conduct, ie valence, electron clouds etc. don't explain to me why:
I've seen electron 'flow' quoted at approx. 1/32" per second in a conductor- how then do 'signals' travel in a wire at near light speed? If conductivity is a function of electrons at the outer (shell) orbit of atoms, why don't all metals have identical conductivities? Why is a larger % of current supposedly carried at the surface of a conductor?
quote "semiconductors have a valence of 4"- So does carbon, a good conductor.
Duh! I await enlightenment!
Alan

Wood work but can't!