Abstract
The free electron models of metals that we have presented in the preceding chapter gives us a good deal of insight into several properties of metals. Yet there are many other important properties that these models do not explain. In particular, they do not tell us why, when chemical elements crystallize to become solids, some are good conductors, some are insulators, and yet others are semiconductors with electrical properties that vary greatly with temperature. These differences are not minor, but rather remarkable. The resistivity may vary from ρ ~ 10−8 ohm-m for a good conductor to p ~ 1022 ohm-m for a good insulator.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Garcia, N., Damask, A., Schwarz, S. (1998). Band Theory of Solids. In: Physics for Computer Science Students. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1616-2_24
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1616-2_24
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7217-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-1616-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive