The thermal conductivity

Based on our life experiences, we know that some materials (like metals) conduct heat at a much faster rate than other materials (like glass). Thermal conductivity of a material is a measure of its intrinsic ability to conduct heat. It could be written as :

k = − ( q x dT dx ) k = - (frac { q_{x} } { {dT} wideslash {dx} })

Note

Metals are typically good conductors of heat, and hence have high thermal conductivity. Gases generally have low thermal conductivity and are bad conductors of heat (or, in other words, are good insulators).