Science & Tech

conductivity

physics
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Print
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

conductivity, term applied to a variety of physical phenomena. In heat, conductivity is the quantity of heat passing per second through a slab of unit cross-sectional area when the temperature gradient between the two faces is unity. Electrical conductivity is the current or the quantity of electricity passing per second through a similar slab when the potential gradient is unity, and it is the reciprocal of the resistivity. In sound the conductivity of the orifice or neck of a resonator is the ratio of the area to the length of the orifice.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.