Conductive metals are metals that are used to transfer heat from one point to the other. This is useful in the case of electronic devices like computers and printers where these conductive metals allow excess heat to move to the surface of the devices. The level of heat that metal can transfer depends on what type of metal is being used as well as the thickness.
Some metals are better conductors of heat than others, and some are not good conductors of heat. You need to know which metals are good conductors of heat to be able to work out which metals you should use for certain tasks.
Silver
Silver is a good conductor of heat. This is due to the kinetic energy of the silver atoms, which is a property of matter.
Consider the molecules in a solid silver bar. Each of them is not touching the other, but the atoms move quickly, vibrating and rotating and making it easy for the silver to transfer heat from one place to another.
In other words, if you put a cup of hot water on a silver table, the silver would conduct that heat very well.
Copper
Copper is an excellent conductor of heat. This means that when you touch a piece of copper, the metal transfers the heat from your hands to the environment. However, copper is a soft metal. You can dent it relatively easily. Copper is also expensive, although copper bars have the potential to be a better conductor of electricity than copper wires.
Gold
Gold is one of the most conductive metals, which means that it is able to conduct heat. You may have heard the phrase “gold in the fire” which is actually a reference to the heat of the fire being transferred to the gold, making it glow. Although gold has some of the best heat conductivity, it’s hardly the only metal that does.
Platinum
Platinum is a good conductor of heat. This is because it allows the kinetic energy of the molecules to transfer to other molecules through this material. This is why platinum is often used in thermocouples to measure high-temperature changes.
Metals that are not good conductors of heat
Some metals are not good conductors of heat. These metals include tungsten, molybdenum, and rhenium. Others include boron, tantalum, and phosphorus.
You might also be interested to know which objects in our homes are made of metals.
