If a router learns two different paths for the same network from the same routing protocol, it has to decide which route is better and will be placed in the routing table. Metric is the measure used to decide which route is better (lower number is better). Each routing protocol uses its own metric.
For example, RIP uses hop counts as a metric, while OSPF uses cost.

In the United States, while channels 1-13 can be used for 2.4 GHz WiFi, only three channels are considered non-overlapping (channels 12 and 13 are allowed under low powered conditions, but for most cases are not used). For best results, it is highly recommended to keep the 2.4 GHz channels to 1, 6, and 11, as these channel settings will allow for virtually no overlap in the WiFi signal. Shown below is a channel graph from WiFi Scanner showing three access points configured for channels 1, 6, and 11. As you can see, the center of each signal is at 1, 6, and 11 with the actual signal extending over several channels to the left and right.