Meaning & use
superconductor
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Meaning
nouncountabletechnicalphysics
A material that allows electricity to flow through it with no resistance when it is cooled to a very low temperature.
Grammar: Countable: a superconductor, two superconductors.
Patterns
- a superconductor
- superconductors
Scientists are searching for a superconductor that works at room temperature.
The magnet uses a superconductor cooled with liquid helium.
Superconductors can carry large currents without losing energy as heat.
Word forms
| plural | superconductors |
|---|
Common combinations
- high-temperature superconductor
- High-temperature superconductors still need to be kept very cold.
- superconductor material
- The lab is testing a new superconductor material.
- superconductor magnet
- The machine uses powerful superconductor magnets.
Word family
- superconductivity noun
- The property of having no electrical resistance at very low temperatures.
- superconducting adjective
- Describing a material or device that shows superconductivity.
Commonly confused: superconductor or conductor?
superconductor vs conductor
A conductor is any material that allows electricity or heat to pass through it; a superconductor does so with no resistance at all when very cold.
Practice
A material that conducts electricity with zero resistance when cooled is called a ______.
Choose one answer.
A superconductor is defined by having no electrical resistance at low temperatures. A conductor (like copper) still has some resistance, an insulator blocks current, and a semiconductor conducts only under certain conditions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “superconductor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.