Question

Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion A and the other is labelled as Reason R
Assertion A: Silver is not used to make electric wires.
Reason R: Silver is a bad conductor.
In light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below

• A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
• B. Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
• C. A is true but R is false
• D. A is false but R is true

Hint:

Silver possesses the highest electrical conductivity, followed closely by copper, gold, and aluminum.
Economic feasibility dictates real-world engineering choices.
Silver is excluded from general wiring purely due to cost, not electrical performance.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This problem concerns the electrical conductivity of materials and the economics of power transmission.
Metals are typical conductors due to the availability of free valence electrons.
Detailed Explanation:
Let us analyze Assertion A:
Silver possesses the highest electrical conductivity of any element.
Despite this physical property, silver is not used to make standard domestic or industrial electric wires.
This is due to high raw material costs and its vulnerability to theft.
Instead, copper and aluminum are preferred for transmission lines.
Thus, Assertion A is true.
Let us analyze Reason R:
The statement claims that silver is a bad conductor of electricity.
In reality, silver is the best known conductor at standard temperature.
It has the lowest resistivity of all metals, measuring approximately: \[ \rho \approx 1.59 \times 10^{-8} \ \Omega \cdot \text{m} \] Thus, Reason R is false.

Step 2: Final Answer:
Assertion A is true, but Reason R is false.