Thermal conductivity and resistivity

Thermal conductivity measures how readily a material conducts heat; electrical resistivity measures how strongly it opposes electric current. Their comparison reveals how heat and charge transport are coupled in materials.

Connect

Wiedemann–Franz law: A relation stating that a metal’s electronic thermal conductivity divided by its electrical conductivity is proportional to temperature. It quantifies how shared conduction by electrons links heat flow to electrical resistance.
Heat transfer: The movement of thermal energy between regions at different temperatures. Conduction is one mode of heat transfer measured by thermal conductivity.
Thermoelectric effect: The family of effects in which temperature differences and electric currents produce one another in materials. Thermoelectric performance depends on balancing heat conduction with electrical transport.
Electrical resistivity: A material property quantifying opposition to electric current, independent of a sample’s dimensions. It is the electrical quantity named in this comparison, reciprocal to conductivity.
Lorenz number: The ratio of electronic thermal conductivity to electrical conductivity multiplied by temperature’s inverse. It is the proportionality constant in the Wiedemann–Franz law.
Fourier's law: A constitutive law relating heat flux to the temperature gradient in a conducting medium. It defines thermal conductivity through the proportionality between temperature gradient and heat flux.
Thermoelectric generator: A device that converts a temperature difference directly into electrical power using thermoelectric materials. Low thermal conductivity and useful electrical conduction improve its conversion efficiency.
Thermal resistance: A measure of how strongly an object or layer impedes heat flow. It is a geometry-dependent heat-flow counterpart to electrical resistance, not thermal resistivity.
Drude model: A classical model that treats electrons in a metal as particles scattering from fixed obstacles. It explains electrical and electronic heat conduction through carrier motion and scattering.
Ohm's law: A relation connecting electric current, voltage, and resistance in an electrical conductor. It supplies the electrical framework for interpreting resistivity as opposition to current.