Karen goes over wires and wire tools, and gives advice on selecting the right hand tools to get you started making circuits. Wire is the artery through which electricity flows. Karen goes over wires and wire tools, and gives advice on selecting the right hand tools to get you started making circuits. Wire is the artery through which electricity flows. Wires come in two types, stranded and solid. If your application requires flexibility, such as in a robotic arm, stranded wire is ideal when the wire needs to be moved frequently. If little or no movement is required, such as when you are prototyping circuits on a breadboard, solid wire is easier to push through. Solid wire consists of a single strand or core of wire, insulated with non-conductive material. Its cheaper to manufacture and provides mechanical ruggedness, due to less surface area to be exposed to corrosives or environment. A stranded wire tends to be a better conductor than solid wire as the individual wires comprise a greater surface area. It’s good for connection between circuit boards where rigidity could cause stress due to movement. Electrical wire typically has an insulative cover that has to be removed to access the conductive metal inside. Conductors are materials characterized by their low opposition to electrical flow. Conductive means that electricity can flow through like with metals. Insulators are known for their capacity to stop the flow of current. Electrons flowing through a conductor or wire tend to generate heat. Thicker wires handle the heat better than thinner wires. Thinner wires can even burn up if too much electricity flows through them. Rubbers and plastics used as insulative materials. Karen goes over different examples of needle-nose pliers. For doing electronics work, small and narrow pliers work best. They allow you to get into tight spots in circuits and they make it easier to manipulate parts and wire. If using very small components, such as sur