Heat Transfer - Engineering

Q1:

Which of the following has the highest thermal conductivity ?

A Brick

B Air

C Water

D Silver

ANS:D - Silver

Among the options provided, silver has the highest thermal conductivity. Silver is an excellent conductor of heat, with a thermal conductivity of approximately 429 watts per meter per kelvin (W/(m·K)) at room temperature. This is much higher than the thermal conductivity of the other options:

  • Brick: Thermal conductivity typically ranges from 0.2 to 1.0 W/(m·K), depending on the type of brick and its composition.
  • Air: Thermal conductivity is very low, typically around 0.024 W/(m·K) at room temperature.
  • Water: Thermal conductivity is higher than air but still relatively low compared to metals like silver. It typically ranges from 0.6 to 0.7 W/(m·K) for liquid water.
Therefore, silver has the highest thermal conductivity among the options provided.