Thermal conductivity and resistivity

Uncommon card · No. 84600

In physics, particularly in thermodynamics, the thermal conductivity of a material is a measure of its intrinsic ability to locally conduct heat. It is commonly denoted by k {\displaystyle k} , λ {\displaystyle \lambda } , or κ {\displaystyle \kappa } and, in SI units, is measured in W·m−1·K−1. It quantifies the proportionality between the heat flux (heat flow rate per unit area, W·m−2) and the temperature gradient (K·m−1) in the direction of heat transport. The reciprocal of thermal conductivity is called thermal resistivity. Materials with high thermal conductivity transfer heat more efficiently than those with low thermal conductivity. Heat transport can arise from different microscopic mechanisms: In metals, thermal conductivity is typically dominated by free electrons, whereas in dielectric materials such as diamond it is largely due to lattice vibrations...

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