I think you are referring to what some people are mistakenly telling people that electricity travels on the outside of the metal instead of through the core. This is mistaken and can be proved by the whole wire burning up completely in two when faced with too much current. It travels through the core.....there are what we call transient signals that can ride the outer layer of the copper wire and they are usually dealt with by installing a ferrite torroid around the wires, somehow this torroid diminishes the transient signals.