Conductors?

Question

Why is a good conductor of electricity also a good conductor of heat?

Answer 1

The reason that metals make such good conductors of both electricity and heat is that they have a lot of electrons in their outer orbitals which can move freely between one atom and the next.

These electrons have little hindrance when trying to move to the area with the lowest potential energy. In the case of electrical conduction, if you put an electric potential(voltage) across a piece of metal, the electrons move towards the positive pole. In the case of thermal conduction, if you warm one part of the metal, the electrons move to the cooler parts. The easier it is for the electrons to move, the better the conductor.

Interestingly, have you ever noticed that mirrors are also made of metal? Since light can be described as an electromagnetic wave, good conductors also make good reflectors. But that's another story.... :-)

Answer 2

It is a physical characteristic of the certain elements that have the ability to conduct electricity also have a capability to absorp and dissapate heat ie:Specific Heat capacity.

It is a dependent relationship....when we think of a metal that can absorb heat, we must also think of it as being able to displace or dissapate heat. This metal's ability to dissapate heat will also give it better thermal management.

This means that the metal will heat up enough but not to the point of thermal saturation (heat soaking), this is the point at which the metal heats up and creates resistance to the flow of electrons.

Platinum, Silver, Gold, Copper to name a few, have these good physical properties. Also note that they are in the same grouping in the table of elements....

Answer 3

Resistant is given by the electrons smashing against atoms nucleus, but heat is transmitted by molecular movement, when electrons find an easy path thru matter that may have some thing to do with th position of the nucleus in the metallic structure so is the propagation on molecular movements but I am not sure.

Answer 4

Because both heat and electricity are conducted by electrons in the conduction band. If you have a lot of free electrons there, you will conduct both.