Question

Select a good and bad conductor of heat and electricity out of the given below:
Copper, mercury, wood, iron, air, saw-dust, cardboard, silver, plastic, wool

Answer 1

Hint: We have to know that metals have a property that they are good conductors of heat and electricity, while non-metals are poor conductors of heat and electricity. s block elements are metals having alkali metals and alkaline earth metals while p block elements have all three metals, nonmetals and metalloids.

Complete answer:
Let’s select a good conductor of heat and electricity first. As said earlier that metals are good conductors of heat and electricity, thus we can select for metals in the given list first which makes us easier to opt out of other options.
Copper is a metal thus it is a good conductor of heat and electricity. Mercury is also a metallic conductor through which heat and electricity can be passed. Ion has metallic bonds due to which it can also allow heat and electricity to pass through it. Pure silver is the best conductor of heat and electricity.
Now let’s see other options:
Wood, air, cardboard, plastic, wool and saw dust all of them are poor conductors of heat and electricity or they can also be called as insulators.
So we can conclude that: Good conductors: Copper, mercury, iron and silver
Poor conductors: Wood, air, saw-dust, cardboard, plastic and wool.

Note: We have to remember that the substances that do not carry any charge in them are poor conductors of heat and electricity. Since metals contain valence electrons thus they behave as good conductors of heat and electricity. And also poor conductors of heat and electricity are also called insulators.