superconductivity

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superconductivity Electrical behaviour in metals and alloys that are cooled to very low temperatures. In a superconducting circuit, an electric current flows indefinitely because there is no electrical resistance. This results from electrons becoming paired to move through the material. Otherwise, one passing electron can create a distortion that can effect the passage of the next electron. Research continues to develop superconductors that function at higher temperatures. This electrical behaviour was discovered in 1911 by the Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh-Onnes.

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