conductivity: Quick Facts

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Photos

Diagram showing three methods of heat transfer: conduction with heat moving along a metal rod from a flame, convection with circulating currents in a heated kettle, and radiation with heat from a heater warming hands.

Bar chart comparing the speed of sound in different materials: air (1,129 feet/second), water (4,794), wood (12,620), iron (16,820), and stone (19,685), with values also given in meters per second.

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Topics

superconductivity thermal conductivity Why Are Some Metals More Conductive than Others?skin depth electrical conductivity photoconductivity Meissner effect Josephson effect BCS theory radiation conductivity radiation radioactivity relativity cluster isomerism phase temperature elasticity entropy polarity