Question

Which of the following building materials has the HIGHEST thermal conductivity?
a) Southern pine wood
b) common brick
c) aluminum
d) gypsum board or drywall

Answer 1

Hint: The term "building material" refers to any substance that is utilised in the construction of a structure. Many naturally existing materials have been used to create structures, including clay, pebbles, sand, and wood, as well as twigs and leaves. Many man-made goods, some more synthetic than others, are used in addition to naturally existing materials. Building materials manufacture is a well-established sector in many countries, and its use is generally divided into specialist crafts such as carpentry, insulation, plumbing, and roofing. They make ecosystems and buildings, including houses, possible.

Complete answer:
The capacity of a substance to conduct heat is measured by its thermal conductivity.
Low thermal conductivity materials transmit heat at a slower pace than high thermal conductivity materials. Metals, for example, have a high thermal conductivity and are extremely effective at transferring heat, whereas insulating materials like Styrofoam are the polar opposite. High thermal conductivity materials are commonly utilised in heat sink applications, while low thermal conductivity materials are used as thermal insulation. Thermal resistance is the counterpart of thermal conductivity.
The heat is transferred within and through the body in conduction. Heat transmission through thermal radiation, on the other hand, is frequently between entities that are geographically distant. A mix of conduction and thermal radiation can also be used to transport heat. Internal energy is transferred between bodies by a moving material carrier in convection. Conduction in solids is mediated by a mixture of molecular vibrations and collisions, phonon propagation and collisions, and diffusion and collisions of free electrons. Conduction occurs in gases and liquids as molecules collide and diffuse during their random motion.

	Thermal conductivity (W/JK)
Southern pine wood	0.22
common brick	0.15
aluminium	237
gypsum board or drywall	0.17

Hence, option (C) is correct.

Note: Thermal conduction is the transmission of internal energy within a body through tiny particle collisions and electron mobility. Molecules, atoms, and electrons collide and transmit chaotic tiny kinetic and potential energy, collectively known as internal energy. Conduction occurs in all three phases of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.