Silver Silver Silver is a chemical element with symbol Ag (from the Latin "", derived from the Proto-Indo-European "h₂erǵ": "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. The metal is found in the Earth's crust in the pure, free elemental form ("native silver"), as an alloy with gold and other metals, and in minerals such as argentite and chlorargyrite. Most silver is produced as a byproduct of copper, gold, lead, and zinc refining. Silver has long been valued as a precious metal. Silver
Electrical resistivity and conductivity inside the conductor. Conductivity is the inverse (reciprocal) of resistivity. Here, it is given by: For example, rubber is a material with large "ρ" and small "σ"—because even a very large electric field in rubber makes almost no current flow through it. On the other hand, copper is a material with small "ρ" and large "σ"—because even a small electric field pulls a lot of current through it. As shown below, this expression simplifies to a single number when the electric field and current density are constant in the material. When the resistivity of a material has a directional component,