National League for Nursing (NLN PAX) Practice Exam

The ability of a substance to conduct electricity is an example of what type of property?

1. Physical property

2. Chemical property

3. Intensive property

4. Extensive property

The correct answer is: Physical property

The ability of a substance to conduct electricity is classified as a physical property. This category of property pertains to the characteristics of a substance that can be observed or measured without altering its chemical composition. Conductivity specifically refers to how well a substance can carry an electric charge, which is a core characteristic inherent to the material. Physical properties are distinct from chemical properties, which involve a substance's ability to undergo changes that transform it into different substances (for example, reactivity with other chemicals). Intensive properties, such as boiling point and density, do not change regardless of the amount of the material, while extensive properties, such as mass and volume, do change with the quantity of the substance. Conductivity does not fall neatly into intensive or extensive categories since it is more about how the substance interacts with electricity rather than a measurement or state related to quantity.