Conductors and insulators are materials involved in the transfer of sound, heat, light or electrical charge. In general, conductors provide a medium of transfer while insulators offer a barrier or resistance to transfer.

A conductor, in the context of electrical charge, is a material through which electrical charges can easily move under the influence of electrical forces. These materials typically have an energy band that is only partially filled with electrons, a conduction band. The energy gap between the conduction band and the valance band, orbitals that contain the outer most electrons in atoms and are involved in chemical bonding, is typically small enough that an electron can easily move from the valence band to the conduction band thereby allowing transfer of electrical charge.

An insulator, in the context of electrical charge, is a material in which electrical charges are not allowed to easily...