conductivity
Americannoun
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Physics. the property or power of conducting heat, electricity, or sound.
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Also called specific conductance. Electricity. a measure of the ability of a given substance to conduct electric current, equal to the reciprocal of the resistance of the substance. σ
noun
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Also called: conduction. the property of transmitting heat, electricity, or sound
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κ.
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a measure of the ability of a substance to conduct electricity; the reciprocal of resistivity
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Formerly called: specific conductance. in the case of a solution, the electrolytic conductivity is the current density divided by the electric field strength, measured in siemens per metre
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of conductivity
First recorded in 1830–40; conductive + -ity
Explanation
A material's conductivity is the extent that it allows an electric current to flow through it. Metal generally has high conductivity. In physics, the noun conductivity is used for the rate or degree that electricity, heat, or sound travels through something. So materials with high conductivity allow heat to flow quickly and completely through them. These substances are also known as conductors. Both words are rooted in the Latin conducere, "to lead or bring together."
Vocabulary lists containing conductivity
Lead the Way: Duc and Duct
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ACT Vocabulary List
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Chemistry - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Conductivity is an important property of matter, but scientists have not been able to measure it in QGP before.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2024
Conductivity of a copper wire, for example, increases in direct ratio to its weight, in inverse ratio to its length, and its conductivity Page 50 falls as the temperature rises.
From Cyclopedia of Telephony & Telegraphy Vol. 1 A General Reference Work on Telephony, etc. etc. by Miller, Kempster
Conductivity is the property which enables the effect of a stimulus to be transferred from one part of a neuron to another.
From Physiology and Hygiene for Secondary Schools by Walters, Francis M.
He then communicated a paper 'On the Selective Conductivity exhibited by Polarising Substances,' which was published by the Royal Society, in January 1897.
From Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose His Life and Speeches by Bose, Jagadis Chandra, Sir
This law will hold good for any number of branch resistances connected between A and B. Conductivity is, as shown before, the reciprocal of resistance79.
From Hawkins Electrical Guide, Number One Questions, Answers, & Illustrations, A Progressive Course of Study for Engineers, Electricians, Students and Those Desiring to acquire a Working Knowledge of Electricity and its Applications by Hawkins, Nehemiah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
