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Name: Tejas
Status: student
Grade: 12+
Country: India
Date: Spring 2012
Question:
Name a metal which is good electric conductor, but a bad thermal conductor?


Replies:
Hi Tejas,

To my knowledge, there are no metals that are good electrical conductors, but poor thermal conductors. In metals, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity tend to go hand in hand.

Interestingly, there are substances that are the reverse of what you are asking; that is, they are excellent thermal conductors, but are electrical insulators. The most well known is diamond, which is a better thermal conductor than any metal, yet diamond is an electrical insulator.

Regards, Bob Wilson

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