Understanding temperature is a crucial idea. Anything too hot will melt or catch fire, and anything too cold will freeze or break. This holds for everything, including beverages, food, clothing, and metals. This article will discuss the importance of temperature in electrical applications, the effects of heat and cold on wire and cable, and the various temperature ratings for the most common wiring materials. 

Because of the free electrons present, we are aware that metals are excellent electric current conductors. The velocity of the electrons increases with temperature, which can lead to accidental collisions and an increase in resistance in the metals. Lower conductivity results from decreased electron mobility. In other words, as the temperature rises, an electrical wire or cable's conductivity will decrease.