It’s a classic example of how some materials are better ... it isn’t—a material that’s a terrible heat conductor could make a superb insulator, and materials like it could play a key ...

for example, are measured in nanometers. The most cost-efficient conductors are metals such as copper, but heat travels through them equally well in all directions. That means heat can spread to ...

But what should it be made of? Wood? Plastic? Or metal? The metal saucepan is the best choice, because metal is a conductor of heat. Conductor is the term used for a material that transfers heat.

its heat conduction is expected to oscillate—a striking example of quantum mechanical dynamics of electrons in metals. This ...