Is Air A Conductor Of Electricity?

A conductor is a substance that allows charged particles to move through it freely as a direct response to an electric field. There are good conductors and bad conductors. Good conductors are those that allow these charged particles to move through them easily, while bad conductors are those that do not facilitate such easy movement. In the case of air, it is normally a poor conductor of electricity. That is one reason why we can comfortably use electrical equipment in the house. Air generally acts as a bad conductor or an insulator, i.e. it insulates us from the effects of electricity.

However, there are specific situations when air could function as a conductor of electricity. These are very specific circumstances, and do not happen all the time. On the whole, at most times, air is not a conductor of electricity. Some times, the electrical appliance in question may be able to generate an electric field that is charged enough to convert the air around into becoming a conductor.

No, because the atoms are not dense enough to provide a direct electron to electron hand off of the energy(electron flow) movement from a positive to a negative/opposite pole.